The Lazarus Factor
by The Cowman
Summary: Their lifestyle is starting to take it's toll on Kim and Ron, and something happens that prompts the return of the Lotus Blade. 13's here. So's the end
1. Dream's End

_Kim Possible and all related characters are TMsomeone else.  I don't own squat.  But due to the freedom of speech I can have my sick, twisted way with them anyway.  God Bless America!!_

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**The Lazarus Factor**

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_"In the end, everything is a gag."- Charlie Chaplin_

            Things were not going well.  To Kim it had seemed so simple at the briefing.  Get in, find out what Drakken was doing with the stolen NASA prototype space drive, and get out.  "You really shouldn't be so surprised though," she scolded herself, "when does a mission ever go as planned."  Kim and Ron had entered Drakken's base through an unmonitored sewage drain and used a little plastique to blast into the buildings main vent system.  Using blueprints and surveillance collected by FBI, they made their way to a supposedly little-used hallway.  According to the intel, the guard should have passed on his patrol 20 minutes ago.  Unfortunately, when Kim kicked open the vent and hopped out, there to her right was the guard lounging against the wall.

            "Oh man, of all the henchmen in the world, we get the slacker," Ron moaned.  Spotting the two, the guard quickly hit the panic button on his communicator.  Instantly alarms began to sound through the entire building.  Kim jumped and swung around, bringing her foot across his face.  The guard stumbled into the wall and slumped to the floor.

            "C'mon Ron," Kim said, motioning to an open door, "we've got to keep moving so Drakken can't pin us down."  Ron nodded and ran after her.  In the bases' control room, Drakken was frantically checking his monitors.

            "The alarm sounded in corridor 25 and the only quick way out of there is through...."

"The left service hallway," Shego finished, "That means they MUST be somewhere in this area."  She motioned to a section of the base layout.

            "Uh, yeah.  I knew that," muttered Drakken.  "Patch in all the cameras from that area.  We've got to find them."  The monitors flickered and switched images.

            "THERE!" Shego shouted as two figures ran past one of the cameras.  She quickly switched to the next nearest camera and focused on where the intruders HAD to enter the next section.  "I should have known," she smiled as the two figures came into view, "Kim Possible."

            "EXCELLENT!" shouted Drakken.  Shego turned to look at him, this was new.  Usually he fell into a pathetic state of fidgeting whenever Possible showed up.  Seeing her confused expression, Drakken smiled smugly, "This time I have prepared for her interference, and now that I know where she is, I can spring my trap."

            "Your trap?" Shego raised an eyebrow.

            "Yes, the prototype we 'acquired' from NASA was never in this building.  I purposefully made our hide-out simple to find, knowing that they would send in Possible to deal with me."  This WAS a surprise.  Drakken was not usually this clever, and Shego couldn't help but be a little impressed.  "But I had the engine sent quietly to different, better hidden facility and had this entire base fitted with the sole purpose of trapping Kim Possible," Drakken finished, putting his hands on his hips and smiling menacingly.

            "And what would have happened if Possible hadn't just happened to be spotted by that one guard?" Shego asked, not being able to resist deflating Drakken's ego just a little.

            "Oh, well," Drakken stammered, trying to think of something to say to change the subject.  "Look," he finally said, " I don't have time to explain every little part of my plan to you Shego.  Now we have important work to do."

            "Sure Doc," Shego smirked turning back to the monitors, "now what are these brilliant traps you've made?"

            Kim and Ron ran through hallway after hallway.  Kim knew that Drakken HAD to have found them by now, but she hoped that by moving quickly, he wouldn't have time to set up an ambush for them anywhere.  Suddenly, the thick metal door ahead of them slammed shut, followed immediately by the one behind them.

            "Quick, through here," Kim shouted, pulling Ron towards a passageway on their right.  They ran some more until they reached a 3-way intersection.  Before they could decide on a path, however, two of the doors crashed down leaving only the middle one open.  Kim suddenly had the sinking feeling that they were being led.  With no other option though, they had little choice but to follow.  This went on for a while, with Kim and Ron heading down whichever door was open until a door once again slammed behind them, but now, there was no opening to run through.  Just as Kim started to think through possible escapes, small slits opened near the ceiling and a greenish gas started to pour through.  Kim quickly pulled out a couple re-breathers and tossed one to Ron.  They wouldn't breath the gas but it still stung her eyes making it hard to see.  Then with a whoosh, a small shaft suddenly appeared on the floor.

            "So, this is what they were leading us to," Kim thought grimly, "Can't lead to anything good, but we can't stay here, the re-breathers won't last forever."  Grabbing Ron's arm, she pointed toward the hole.  Ron nodded and followed Kim through.  The shaft dropped straight down a few feet and then curved into a steep slope.  They slid for 10 or so feet before dropping into a large room, right into a waiting cage.  A top slammed down over the cage, trapping the two inside.  As Kim stood, dusted herself off, and pocketed the re-breathers, Drakken and Shego entered.

            "You see Shego," Drakken laughed, "it worked just as I said it would."

            "Yeah, but what I don't understand is the cage."  Shego had been very impressed with Drakken's preparations and was disappointed at this turn of events.  "Why didn't you just drop them into the furnace or something."  Drakken seemed to actually be perplexed by this question.

            "Shego, if I did that, how would she know I had tricked her with my ingenious trap?"  He threw his arms in the air with a frustrated sigh.  " I mean, she might have died thinking I had captured her purely by luck."

            "You did get her purely by luck," Shego retorted, "if that guard hadn't been goofing around...."  She stopped suddenly, willing herself to calm down.  Trying to make Drakken see reason was useless.  She had to just try to work around his childish impulses.  "Okay Doc, but now that she knows you tricked her with the fake hide-out, could we kill her NOW?"

            "Oh, why of course Shego," Drakken glared at Kim, "any last requests Possible?"

            "Well, actually I'm kind of hungry...." Ron cringed at the looks the others shot him, "Um, never mind."

            "Wow," said Kim, finally speaking up, "so you set up this whole base as one huge trap for me?"  She slowly leaned against the bars of the cage.

            "That's right," Drakken smirked.

            "And the prototype was never even here?" Kim slowly began wrapping a wire filament around two of the bars.

            "Of course not, how dumb do you think I am."

            "Wow Drakken, that was really clever," Carefully she clicked open a lighter.

            "Well, I AM an evil GENIOUS."  Shego narrowed her eyes at Kim wondering what she was up to.

            "Well Drakken, I've got to admit.  I always thought you were such a poser, but you really are a top-notch super-villain."  She touched the flame carefully to the end of the wire.

            "Really?" asked Drakken, clearly flattered, "You really mean that?"

            "Ummm, actually......no," Kim suddenly grabbed Ron, pushing him to the other side of the cage as the wire flared and flashed, blasting out the two bars it was wrapped around.  Kim and Ron quickly leapt through the hole.

            "GUARDS!!" Drakken screamed, looking wildly around, "Stop her!!"  The two doors in the room slid open and guards immediately started pouring in.

            "Ron, get to the door," Kim crouched back, tensing her muscles, "I'll take care of these guys."  Kim launched herself at the group of henchmen; flipping forward she hit the leader full in the face with both feet.  As he fell she jumped straight up, kicking her legs out to the sides, catching two others under the chin.  Landing, she immediately leapt forward between the legs of the next guard as he took a swing at her.  Swinging behind her, she drove her forearms into the back of his knees.  He fell forward and was finished off with a backhand as Kim spun around to face Drakken and Shego.  She saw Drakken fuming in a corner, but Shego wasn't with him.  She was already looking around when she heard Ron.

            "Um, KP?" turning Kim saw that Ron had been surrounded by guards, many with brass knuckles and stun guns.  "Could you watch it with those things," Ron winced, "I'm rather fragile."

            "Alright kid," one of the guards turned to Kim, "give up or your little friend here gets damaged."  Kim quickly memorized the guards' positions.  A plan formed in her mind, she'd have to be quick, but she COULD take down the guards before they got to Ron.  Her left leg was already tensing and slowly sliding back as she prepared to fling herself at the nearest guard, sending him into the one next to him.  Then all she had to do was flip over Ron and she would be between him and the rest of the guards, after that it would be simple.

            But before she could make her move, a metal pole suddenly ripped through her shoulder.  Screaming, Kim fell to the floor.  Behind her stood Shego, still holding the other end of the broken 3-foot bar.  Grabbing the remains of one of the cage bars, she had snuck around Kim as she fought the guards, and then, when Kim was distracted by Ron's danger, had slipped up behind her and drove the broken bar through Kim's left shoulder.

            "KIM!!!" Ron screamed in horror, his eyes glued to the pool of blood slowly forming under his friend.

            "Well, that was disappointingly simple," Shego smirked.  She twisted the bar and yanked it free, bringing another agonizing scream from Kim.  "Now, dear Kimmy.  How about we finish this?"  Shego raised the bar over her head.

            "NO!!" Ron ran straight at the guard in front of him.  The man was so surprised at the former "helpless sidekick" rushing him, he didn't have time to resist when Ron shoved the guard's own stun gun into his gut.  The gun crackled as the guard spasmed uncontrollably and fell to the ground.  This turn of events startled Shego as well, and Kim, taking advantage of Shego's distraction, kicked out knocking Shego's legs out from under her.  Ron was instantly at her side helping her up and hurrying towards the door the guards had entered through.

            "They're going to escape," Drakken pulled out his communicator, "Control room.  Lock down this room IMMEDIATELY!!!"  The door suddenly began to close.

            "Ron, fall down," Kim ordered weakly.  Ron quickly fell to the floor.  Using her good arm, Kim drew her grappling hook and fired it underneath the descending door.  Activating the pulley, she and Ron slid beneath the door just as it closed.

            "Curses," Drakken spat, yelling into his communicator again, "they made it out.  Open the doors!  Hurry!"

            "I'm trying boss," the guard in the control room answered, "but opening these things from a lock-down takes a couple seconds."  Shego slammed both hands on either side of the door, leaning against the wall she glared at the floor.

            "I had her," she said, quietly, "she was finished........ but she still won.  How did she win?  How does she ALWAYS WIN!!!"  Shego slammed her fist against the door.

            Ron all but dragged Kim down the corridor looking for a way out.  Darkness was seeping into the edges of her vision, but she couldn't black out now, she had to stay awake... had to help Ron get away.

            "Ron," she whispered, her voice garbled by the coughed up blood collecting in her throat, "use th'..communicator....get...Wade."  Ron nodded, hastily searched Kim's pockets for the handheld video link.

            "Wade!" Ron shouted, switching on the device, "we need a way out of here NOW!"

            "Ron?  Where's Kim?  Is she okay?"  Ron hardly ever called Wade by himself and Wade was obviously worried by this.

            "She's right here, but there's no time to explain."

            "Okay, hold on," Wade tapped at his computer for a second or two, "All right, head down the next hallway on your right and follow it to an intersection.  Take the left path and you should find a functional elevator to the roof.  The Feds have a helicopter standing by for dust-off."  Ron stuffed the communicator in his pocket and dragged Kim down the hallways Wade had indicated.  Luckily the elevator was still usable and soon they were on the roof watching a black helicopter descend toward them.  The team onboard helped them up and immediately started working on Kim's shoulder.  Ron started to move away, he would only get in their way if he tried to stay beside her.

            "ron," Kim whispered, suddenly grabbing his arm, "thank you."  Ron stared as her hand fell away and the agents gently pushed him toward a bench and started bandaging her shoulder.  She had thanked him.  Bleeding and barely consciousness, she had used the last of her strength to thank him.  How could she do such a horribly idiotic thing?  He hadn't saved her.  It was his cowardice, his uselessness that had distracted her and got her hurt.  He looked down at his hands, they were covered in blood, his shirt was soaked with blood.  The blood that had run out of his best friend.  And he was responsible for every last drop of it.

_And there's the first chapter for ya.  In the next chapter we'll see just how much of a toll their lifestyle has taken on Kim and Ron, and maybe it has caused one of them to slip over the edge?  In pondering this last question remember this;  I am a heartless b@$t@rd and love nothing more than to torture the characters in my stories.  This is my first story, but don't worry about going easy.  Lay into me as hard as you want.  I assure you that I am a jerk and probably deserve anything you say.___


	2. Deconstruction

_Once again, don't own it._

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 2 - Deconstruction

_"I must be fine, because my heart's still beating." - The White Stripes_

            Kim was flown directly to an FBI hospital where she was kept under observation for a day to make sure there was no danger of infection.  She was released the day after and returned with Ron to Middleton.  Everyone made a huge fuss over her most recent injury, telling her to lie down and take it easy, offering to get her soup or pillows, and anything else they could think of.  Even Rufus, who had stayed behind on the mission due to the FBI's insistence, offered her some of his hidden food stash, which Kim politely declined.

            "Really everyone, I'm fine," Kim tried to assure the group, "it's just a little sore."

            "Well, I still think you should take tomorrow off from school, dear," Mrs. Possible sighed, sitting down beside Kim.

            "Mom, it's not that bad."

            "Don't pull that line with us Kim," Mr. Possible stepped up behind his wife, "Remember, we ARE both doctors, we know what kind of damage a wound like that can do."

            "C'mon dad," Kim laughed, amused at her parents actually trying to keep her home from school, "I mean, it WAS bad, sure.  But now it just hurts when I move it too much, I'll be fine.  Right, Ron?"  Kim smiled looking around for Ron to step up and agree with her, but he didn't appear to be in the room.  "Ron?" Kim called again, a little louder.

            "Maybe he went home already," suggested Ron's mother, "he's probably pretty tired himself."

            "Yeah, maybe." Kim agreed.  But secretly, she was a little worried.  It wasn't like Ron to just leave like that without saying anything, and especially not without taking Rufus with him.  Of course he had been doing a lot of worrying things lately.  He had been reprimanded several times for not paying attention in class, and while he HAD done this before, it was usually because he was joking around with Kim or Rufus.  But lately it wasn't joking around; he just seemed to zone out, staring straight ahead with a somber look on his face.  Sometimes the teacher would have to call his name three or four times before he would even notice.

            He just seemed to be losing interest in everything.  Ron had never been that fashion-minded when it came to dressing, but Kim was still worried when she noticed him wearing the same outfit for almost four days straight.  When she asked him about it he actually seemed surprised.

            "Oh, yeah," he said, scratching his head, "I guess I have.  Thanks KP, I'd better change, I think these things are starting to talk to me."  This had made Kim laugh and they went on to talking about other things.  And THAT was the real problem.  He made her laugh.  He could always make her laugh and whenever she called him on some strange behavior, he would just laugh it off, and would soon have her laughing with him, and not until later would she realize that he had never answered her question.  It wasn't that there was anything major wrong, it was just lots of little things that she might not have noticed had they not grown up together, and this leaving without saying anything was just another out of character move.

            "He must have just been tired," Kim tried to convince herself, "He was probably so beat that he just forgot to say anything and get Rufus."  But deep down she didn't believe a word of it.

            Meanwhile, Ron was just walking in his front door.  He had stayed out of the way at Kim's house as the others fussed around her, he was afraid of someone trying to talk to him about what had happened.  He knew that none of them would blame him for Kim's injury, but that didn't change the fact that he WAS responsible, and having everyone in one room talking about it had made him feel nauseous.  He kicked off his shoes, leaving them laying by the door, and went straight to his room.  Closing the door and leaning back against it, he heaved a sigh.

            "Man Rufus, I am such a mess," he looked down for the little rodent to respond, but saw nothing.  "Ah crap, I forgot Rufus," Ron banged his head against the door, "Man, something else for KP to worry about."  Ron knew that Kim was concerned about his behavior lately and this would just give her more grief.  "Geez, I hope she'll think I was just real tired or something."  He could have kicked himself.  Kim had enough on her mind without him acting weird, "Just another way I'm letting her down," he thought angrily.  Why couldn't he be more useful?  Why couldn't he help her more?  He started walking towards his closet to change, not seeing the pair of pants on the floor.  Suddenly his foot got caught in the pants, losing his balance he fell forward into a chair.  He tipped the chair over and slammed to the ground.  Anger immediately flooded his mind, how could he always be so clumsy?  In a fit of rage he hurled the chair into the wall, knocking over a nearby lamp.  The lamp toppled over and was smashed to pieces as it landed.  Ron cursed at himself, looking down at his elbow that had been scraped in the fall.  He washed it out in the sink, wincing at the sting.

            "Maybe that's it," he thought to himself, "maybe I'm just afraid to get hurt."  He had never liked getting hurt, but then again, who did?  Kim could face it though.  She never backed down from a situation just to avoid getting hurt.  He thought back to when he had escaped the ring of guards to help Kim.  He COULD do it, but before she was hurt, he seemed paralyzed, afraid of the guards.  It HAD to be the pain that scared him into uselessness.  Ron walked glumly over to his bed, falling face down among the pillows, he settled in to sleep, not bothering to change out of his clothes.  He didn't want to bother changing; he didn't want to think about anything anymore, he just wanted to go to sleep.

            The next morning Ron woke up late.  Getting out of bed, he quickly threw on a clean shirt, but didn't change his pants.

            "Hopefully KP won't notice," he thought as he hurried to get ready for school.  Rufus was sleeping in his usual spot.  "Mom and Dad must have brought him home," Ron mused, walking over to where the little animal was stirring.  "Hey buddy," he said cheerfully as Rufus rubbed his eyes, "sorry about ditching you last night."  He handed Rufus a Frito as an apology.  The naked mole rat took it, chittering happily as it ran up Ron's arm where it perched on his shoulder and munched contentedly on it's treat.

            "Hm, guess I'm forgiven," Ron smiled as he headed downstairs.

            "There you are," Kim was waiting for Ron as he came down, "I thought we might be late."

            "Sorry KP, guess I was more beat than I thought."  They hurried out the door, saying good-bye to Ron's parents as they left.   They hurried to school talking and joking about how the students and faculty would react to this latest development.  Kim predicted that Bonnie would barely be able to hide her joy at Kim being unable to perform with the cheerleaders for a while.  Aside from Bonnie's hostility, the rest of the school seemed sympathetic.  The teachers all asked how she was and her locker was covered in "Get Well" cards.

            "Gee, maybe I should get hurt more often, everyone's being so nice."  It was lunchtime and Kim, Ron, and Monique were just sitting down with their trays.

            "Well what did you expect," Monique pointed her spork at Kim's shoulder, "It's not everyday someone gets messed up THAT bad."  Kim sighed, rolling her eyes.

            "I keep telling everyone it's not that bad," Kim insisted, but winced when she reached for her drink.

            "Yeah, not that bad." Monique replied sarcastically.

            "I just stretched it a little to much," Kim rubbed her bandaged shoulder painfully.

            "Um, 'scuse me KP," Ron stood, "I, uh, gotta make a toilet run."  He quickly picked up his tray and headed away.

            "What's the matter with him?" Monique asked, "He looked like he was going to be sick."  Kim watched worriedly as Ron tossed the contents of his tray into a trash barrel and left the lunchroom.

            "I don't know, but it's really starting to worry me."

            Ron was grateful for the empty bathroom.  He entered one of the stalls and sat down tiredly on the closed seat.  Resting his head in his hands, he tried to fight down the rising panic in his gut.  He had been fighting to keep himself calm the entire day.  Kim's injury had hit him like a knife in the back, and having everyone talking about it, reminding him of his role in it.  Well, it just felt like someone had grabbed the knife handle and started twisting it.  Rufus scurried out of Ron's pocket and onto his knee.  He didn't understand why Ron was so sad.  Seeing Rufus staring plaintively up at him, Ron smiled.

            "Sorry pal, I'm okay, really," Ron picked up the little rodent, holding him at eye level.  "I'm just not feeling well.  Listen, could you do me a favor?"  Rufus squeaked happily and nodded.  "Great!  I gotta get out of here before I go nuts, keep an eye on KP for me, huh?"  Rufus saluted and jumped to the floor, scurrying off towards the lunchroom.  Ron sighed and left the bathroom.  He peeked into the lunchroom to see if Rufus had gotten to Kim okay.  Rufus gave him a thumbs up from the back pocket of Kim's backpack.  Satisfied, Ron headed for the doors.  He didn't bother telling the office he was leaving, he just didn't want to bother.

            As he walked home he felt a pang of guilt for ditching Kim, especially since he was supposed to help out with the cheerleaders' practice after school.  He wanted Kim to be in the cheerleaders, and had started helping out to make sure she stayed.  When they had first started the whole Team Possible thing Kim had been so enthusiastic about it.  After some a few more serious missions though, Ron had noticed her becoming more detached, not as cheerful.

            "No surprise, really," Ron thought, "the kind of stuff she faces would depress anyone."  In fact, he had started to get really concerned about her.  Cheerleading seemed to boost her spirits again, reviving the old optimistic talkative Kim he had always known.  She needed cheerleading, needed something normal to worry about instead of criminal masterminds.  He had joined up with the group, hoping that his involvement would keep her there.  Ron wasn't stupid.  He knew that working with the cheerleaders did nothing to improve his standing in school and more often than not, brought ridicule from some of the nastier kids.  But Kim needed the cheerleaders as an anchor to the normal world.  It was a place where she could use her exceptional talents for something other than fighting.  She was doing normal things, and that made her feel normal.

            Arriving home, Ron was once again thankful to be alone.  His parents were out for the day and probably wouldn't be home till almost 6:00.  Walking up to his room, Ron's mind began to drift back to the night before.  He thought again about what made him afraid and came to the same conclusion.  The pain.  That was the only explanation, he was afraid of pain.  But that was selfish; he couldn't let Kim be hurt just because he was afraid of getting hurt himself.

            "Kim gets hurt all the time," he thought, "but she keeps going.  Maybe it's not that bad.  Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it."  Ron's gaze fell on the broken lamp from last night.  Walking over to it he picked up one of the larger jagged pieces and sat down in a chair.  Resting the elbow of his left arm on his knee, he looked curiously at his palm.  He slowly brought the edge of the lamp piece to just below his index finger.  Finally, pressing down, he slid it diagonally across his palm, stopping just as he hit his wrist.  He stared at the gash in his hand, waiting for the searing flash of pain, but it didn't come.  Somewhere in the back of his mind he KNEW that his hand hurt, but it just didn't seem to be registering.  He watched, fascinated by the bright red blood that oozed from the cut and flowed down his arm.  He watched as it ran down into the crook of his elbow and dripped onto his leg, soaking and staining his tan cargo pants.

            Ron was amazed.  He had never noticed how strangely stunning it was, the bright red against the paler white skin of the arm, the strange patterns it seemed to make as it ran downwards.  He was so entranced by the sight that it was several minutes before he noticed that Kim was kneeling in front of the chair, screaming at him.

_Sick yet?  Don't worry, it only gets worse._


	3. Requiem for Happiness

_Don't own 'em, but gonna screw with 'em anyway._

**The Lazarus Factor**

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Chapter 3 - Requiem for Happiness

_"Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance."- Confucius_

            Ron wasn't coming back from the bathroom.  Somehow, in the back of her mind, Kim knew this.  She had tried to ignore the feeling by talking with Monique, but the little voice in her head wouldn't shut up.  Still, she managed to get through lunch without showing her doubts to Monique, telling herself that she would just have to catch up with him later.  Upon leaving the lunchroom, however, she suddenly heard a rustling in her backpack and discovered Rufus.  This almost made her panic.  Rufus and Ron were NEVER apart and combined with the forgetting of him last night, Kim was suddenly greatly concerned about her friend.

            "Sorry Monique," Kim sighed, "but I've just GOT to make sure he's okay."

            "Don't worry about it, he did look kind of funny at lunch.  Go check up on the guy."  Kim thanked Monique and hurried to the office.  Somehow she knew that Ron had already left and was determined to catch up to him and find out what was wrong once and for all.  Due to her injured shoulder, getting permission to leave was no problem.  The secretary instructed her to go home, rest, and put some ice on it.  Kim ran almost the whole way to Ron's house.  Walking in the front door, her fears were slightly soothed by the sight of the Stoppables' neat, normal house.

            "This IS Ron we're talking about here," she reminded herself for the tenth time, "there has to be some simple explanation for all this."  She smiled as she neared Ron's bedroom door with Rufus sitting on her shoulder, "He's probably in there right now, passed out on his bed."  She casually opened the door and, looking inside, could have sworn that her heart stopped for close to a minute.

            Ron was sitting in a chair with his left elbow resting on his knee, his hand held before his face as blood ran down his arm.  In his right hand was a jagged piece of ceramic, still with a hint of red on one edge.  But the thing that really sent chills down her spine was the look on his face.  He didn't look hurt or scared; instead there was a horribly benign curiosity, as if he was watching an aquarium full of interesting fish.  Kim wasn't sure how long she stood there until she was finally able to say something, but when she did it was little more than a croak.

            "Ron," her voice was muted and garbled in shock, but suddenly it seemed to pass, and the situation suddenly loomed large and clear in front of her.  "RON!!" she practically screamed, though still not moving from the door.  To her dismay he didn't respond, he just kept staring fixedly at the blood flowing down his arm.  Finally she couldn't take it anymore.  "RON!" she ran over to him, falling to her knees in front of the chair.  "RON!"  she shook his right knee hoping to make him notice her.  **"RON!!!"**, she finally grabbed both his shoulders and shook him.

            Ron's eyes suddenly came into focus and he glanced down at her, the same casually curious look on his face.

            "Oh, hey KP," he said, absently, "when did you get here?"

            "Ron, you're bleeding.  Did you cut yourself?"

            "Oh....yeah."  Ron's voice was eerily calm, though slightly confused sounding.

            "Did you.... did you do it on purpose?"  Kim held her breath, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

            "Um...yeah, yeah I did," Ron paused, as if thinking, "I...um, I wanted to see how it.... I mean, if..."

            "Ron," Kim cut him off, "what were you thinking?"

            "I...was always scared of it," he continued, indicating his cut palm, "wanted to get used to it.  Help out.   Sorry if I didn't.... notice you come in.   I was just watching..... was looking at it.  It just seems to keep going...." Ron trailed off.  Kim was close to tears.  Ron was acting insane and she didn't know what to do.  She managed to get him up and to the bathroom to wash off his hand and arm.  Once she had started applying some antiseptic to the cut, Ron was acting a little more aware of his surroundings.

            "Look, I'm sorry about all that KP," Ron smiled, "I just thought that if I could get used to getting hurt, maybe I could toughen myself up a bit.  You know, the whole Rambo thing." he joked.

            "No, I don't know!" Kim wanted to shout, "This is not sane behavior, this is sick, scary behavior and you need help."  But she didn't say it, she couldn't.  "Okay Ron, but don't do it again, will you?  I'm sure we can think of some other way."

            "Sure KP," Ron smiled again, "and, hey, could you maybe not mention this to my parents.  They wouldn't understand, probably think I'm crazy or something."  Kim couldn't help thinking that maybe he was crazy.  She wanted to believe his excuse, but thinking back to the look of fascination on his face, she couldn't accept it.  That expression was something more serious, and she didn't see it going away so easily.  She looked at Ron and felt her stomach tighten.

            "Sure Ron, I promise."  Kim looked at the reddish stain on Ron's pants and felt like she had just handed him a shiny new knife with which to hurt himself all over again.  Kim stayed with him the rest of the day, only leaving when his parents returned.  She said that her shoulder was acting up and she didn't feel like walking home, but she just didn't want to leave Ron alone.  Rufus was confused at what had happened.  Ron had looked hurt but had acted fine, and Rufus couldn't make out which it was.

            Once the Stoppables had gotten home Kim said good-bye and left, keeping her promise.  All the way home she wondered if she was making a big mistake.  Ron WAS her best friend, but would she be betraying him more by telling someone, or by NOT telling them.  As she sat at dinner that night there were a couple times where she actually opened her mouth to tell her parents, but she changed her mind at the last moment and kept quiet.  Again, as she got ready for bed, she convinced herself that his parents needed to know, but, again, she stopped as she turned towards the door.

            "What if it WAS just a one time thing," she thought, "if I tell his parents, he'd probably end up in counseling, on medication, and who knows what else.  All for something me may never do again.  I'll just have to trust him," she decided as she fell into bed.  She lay there and was starting to fall asleep when, suddenly, she heard the beeping of her communicator.  Sitting up groggily she began to look for it, but for some reason it was nowhere to be found.

            "Kim," Wade's voice caused her to look down.  Her communicator was in her hand, she also noticed that she was in her normal mission gear.

            "I must be more out of it than I thought," she mused, "I could have sworn I was dressed for bed."

            "Kim," Wade called again, "I've found Drakken's real hideout.  It's an old abandoned factory at the edge of town.  Cutter's Mill."  Kim shook her head, trying to get focused.

            "I'm on it Wade," she headed for the door and was soon outside the factory with Ron.  It was funny though, because she couldn't quite remember the trip over, but she mentally pushed that aside.

            "I've got more important things to think about," she reminded herself.  Ron was standing beside her with the same goofy smile she'd seen so many times before.

            "Ready to kick some super-villain butt, KP?" Kim smiled at him.  In the back of her mind she knew she should be worried, but she couldn't think why.  After all, this was the old familiar Ron, with his bad jokes and cheesy one-liners.  What was there to worry about?

            They got into the factory quite easily, and were soon running down corridors trying to find Drakken.  The hallways seemed to go on forever with no change in them, but soon Kim began to notice that the ceiling seemed higher.  Soon there was no doubt as the ceiling stretched far up above them and was soon lost in the inky blackness that seemed to saturate the hallway.  In fact, only the floor along the middle of the hallway seemed to be lit, but how Kim didn't know since any ceiling lights had to be a good 200 feet above them at least.  Breathing heavily they stopped and Ron leaned against the shadowed wall only to find that there was no wall there.  Kim leapt forward, grabbing his arm as he fell from the narrow ledge that the hallway had become.

            The floor seemed to slope forward, making it hard to stay on.  She reached out, grabbing Ron's arm with her other hand, but everywhere she touched him large, bloody gashes suddenly appeared.  Kim didn't know what to do.  She was hurting her friend with every touch and the blood that flowed freely down his arm was making it impossible to hold on to him.

            "It's okay Kim," came Ron's voice.  Kim looked down at him.  He seemed so calm, yet in a horrible way.  The look was familiar, but she didn't want to remember where she had seen it before.  "Kim," Ron said again, "it's okay.  It's all ending."  Suddenly, Kim's hand passed right through his arm, as if he where a ghost.  Kim screamed in horror as she watched Ron swallowed up by the dark abyss.  She stared after him, even after he was out of sight until she heard a noise above her.  Looking up she was only able to catch a flash of metal and a thin, sharp edge before the thing hit her right between the eyes.

            Kim screamed and sat up.  Sat up?  Looking around wildly she saw no hallway or bottomless pit, only her own room.  Kim didn't go back to sleep that night.  The dream had unnerved her, and she was terrified of having it again.

_Next: One of the world's certainties rears its head.  And it isn't taxes._


	4. A Simple Equation

_They ain't mine, I don't make any money of 'em, and it sucks._

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**The Lazarus Factor**

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Chapter 4 - A Simple Equation

_"In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin_

            The next day passed rather uneventfully, with Kim doing her best not to let Ron out of her sight.  They went about their normal school day and Ron seemed to be his old self again.  He laughed and joked as if nothing was wrong, but Kim couldn't help feeling that it was all an act.  When she watched him carefully his eyes seemed to look hollow, they didn't light up when he laughed like eyes are supposed to.  She prayed for something to do that would take both their minds off of their troubles.  After school she decided to call Wade and see if he had any leads on Drakken's base.  Wade had needed to start from scratch after the first base turned out to be a fake.  The escape trail from NASA was almost two days old by that point.  Kim slipped into the kitchen leaving Ron on the couch watching TV.  Pulling out her communicator, she hit the button to signal Wade.

            "Hey Kim," Wade greeted her, "feeling better?"

            "Yeah, I'm fine Wade.  Listen, have you made any progress in finding Drakken?"

            "I found him yesterday night," Wade answered.

            "WHAT?" Kim couldn't believe it, "Why didn't you call me?"  Wade shrugged.

            "Kim, you're still injured.  The Feds are handling this one."

            "No way Wade.  This is mine!"

            "But Kim, your arm." Wade protested.

            "It's FINE Wade.  Now tell me where the base is."  Wade sighed, looking defeated.

            "All right, it's about 4 miles south of Middleton.  I'll send you the latitude and longitude."

            "Not much out there but mountains."  came a voice from behind Kim, making her jump.  Ron stood looking over her shoulder at the satellite map of the area.

            "Yeah, looks like Drakken's really gone all out for this one," Wade continued, "It's actually built into the side of a mountain.  Lots of high tech stuff.  I also read some big energy readings from there.  It's got to be from the stolen space engine."

            "Okay," Kim turned towards her room, "I'm going."

            "Right behind you KP," Ron started to follow her.  Kim suddenly stopped, turning to look guiltily at Ron.

            "Um, I don't know Ron," she said, looking down at her feet, "It might be really dangerous."

            "Uh, when has it NOT been dangerous," Ron countered, "I'm going with you."

            "He's right Kim," came Wade's voice from the communicator, "with your arm you may need his help even more this time."  Kim chewed her bottom lip.  Recent events, not least of which was her dream last night, had made her extra concerned about Ron's safety.  But, then again, leaving him here would mean leaving him alone, and she definitely didn't want to do that.  And who knew, maybe another mission was just what he needed.  Maybe it would get his confidence back.

            "All right Ron," she smiled, "let's go."  Ron grinned and hurried to change into the set of mission clothes he kept at Kim's house.  But in the back of his mind he screamed at himself for what he was doing.

            "Why are you going?" he thought, "You'll just end up screwing the pooch again, and you'll get Kim killed."  Ron clenched his fists in determination.  He WOULDN'T get Kim hurt again.  It didn't matter what happened, he would keep her safe.

            Wade arranged for a helicopter to meet them outside and they were soon making a pass over Drakken's lair.  Looking around they noticed the remains of another helicopter smoking on the ground far below.

            "They must have tried to land and got caught by one of the defenses," Kim mused.  She knew that landing on the ground would be impossible.  They would have to parachute onto the mountain and work their way in from the top.  The helicopter flew in a wide arc around the perimeter of the base and at about the halfway point Ron and Kim jumped.  Deploying their chutes, they steered towards a small patch of trees just next to where the base receded into the mountainside.  Kim clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut in pain.  The sudden jolt from deploying her chute had sent a searing pain through her healing shoulder, but she kept her back turned to Ron, determined not to show it.  They were unstrapping the parachutes when Kim's communicator beeped.

            "We've landed Wade," Kim said, answering the device.

            "Okay, you're going have to be real careful," Wade tapped busily on his keyboard, "Drakken's really put a lot into this.  Security cameras, laser trip wires, and the whole roof is wired with pressure sensors."

            "Well, how do we get in?" Ron peered out of the trees at the metallic structure before them.

            "I can send an electronic signal through your communicator that will create a sort of electric dead zone around you.  That will keep the pressure sensors off you, but the lasers and cameras are on a grounded hardwire connected directly to the control room, so you're on your own with them."

            "Don't worry Wade," Kim carefully started forward, "we can handle it."  They cautiously approached the roof of the base.

            "Okay, now just keep the communicator on and stay within four feet of each other."

            "Got it, Wade."  Kim and Ron carefully slid down the incline to the metal roof below.  They slowly made their way across the roof with Kim holding the slightly buzzing communicator in her hand.  There were indeed trip wires and automated security cameras along with a few guards, and the two were grateful for the numerous exhaust stacks and storage structures that littered the roof.  Using them as cover they were able to sneak past unnoticed.

            "All right Kim, there should be a security shed to your left," Wade whispered over the communicator, "There's probably a guard inside, but there are no cameras."  Kim crept over to the shed and motioned to Ron.  Ron nodded and positioned himself in front of the door.  Kneeling down he suddenly threw the door open.  The startled guard whirled around, looking down at the intruder.  While his attention was on floor, Kim jumped over Ron, driving her foot into the guard's head.  The guard slammed into the wall and slid, unconscious, to the floor.

            "Okay Wade, we're in."

            "There should be a ventilation grate in the floor," Wade studied his computer screen, "You can get into the base's system from there.  Once you're in you should have no problem finding the engine, just follow the noise."

            "Ah man," Ron moaned, "the vent system again?"

            "Thanks Wade," Kim smiled, "we'll call you again when we reach the prototype."  Tying up the guard they then pried the grate off the floor and jumped down into the maze of shafts.  Wade had been right, the noise made by the engine was easy to follow and it wasn't long before they had reached a grate that led into a large room.  Carefully looking out of the grating they saw their goal.

            The prototype engine had been designed to fasten onto the sides of space shuttles.  After lift-off, the engines would provide up to now, unheard of speed and maneuverability.  It had even been theorized that they were powerful enough to control re-entry and land a shuttle as easily as an airplane.  The engine also operated on a revolutionary electrical power source that re-charged itself using the turning of special turbines.  The turning of the turbines created electricity, giving the engines a presumably inexhaustible energy supply.

            Kim and Ron could see the engine in the center of the room surrounded by guards and technicians.  The engine consisted of four pylons, each as long as a space shuttle.  They were positioned upright in a circle.  The turbine emerged near the bottom on the outside of the pylon, while prongs ran along the inside.  The prongs, which should have been connected to special ports in the shuttle to help run it's systems, were instead left bare; shooting the electricity generated by the pylons between themselves.  Above the four pylons there was a network of catwalks, all leading to a device suspended directly above the web of electricity in the center of the pylons.

            Looking around Kim and Ron spotted Drakken and Shego standing in front of one of the many consoles around the room.  Pulling out her communicator, Kim activated the camera function, zooming in on Drakken and Shego, using the boom mike to eavesdrop on their conversation.

            ".... should be doing that?" Shego was saying.

            "It's fine, Shego." Drakken sighed, "It's running fine.  The sonic amplifier is increasing the power of the engine ten-fold.  Imagine, with an unlimited power source of this magnitude, I could power an army of robot warriors for a whole year with just the back-up supply."

            "But Doc," Shego shook his arm, "isn't it supposed to slow down when it gets near full capacity?"  She pointed at a read-out on a screen.

            "Hmmm," Drakken scratched his head, "the turbines DO seem to be going rather fast for the current power levels.  Still I'm sure it's nothing."

            "If you say so Doc," Shego shrugged, but suddenly felt odd.  Shego never much believed in fate or luck, but she could never explain what made her look over at the wall behind them.  But look she did, and her gaze fell on a ventilation grating.  Kim froze when Shego turned to look directly at their hiding place.  Not daring to move a muscle Kim waited until Shego slowly turned away.  Kim and Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

            Shego was sure she had seen something, so as she turned she suddenly grabbed a nearby wrench, whipped around, and hurled it at the grate.  Kim and Ron jumped as the wrench slammed into the grate right in front of them.  It bounced harmlessly off, but the damage was already done.  Shego had heard them.

            "We've got intruders!" Shego pointed towards the grating.

            "Uh, Kim?" Ron said, watching as the guards began to converge on their hiding place, "You remember that saying about discretion being the better part of valor?"

            "Ron, you read my mind."  Turning around, they crawled down the vent shaft as fast as they could.  Shego watched as the guards began prying off the grating.

            "Leave it," she shouted, "you'll never catch them that way.  Fools.  I've got a better idea."  Running over to one of the consoles Shego quickly activated the manual control on one of the flying spy cams.  Drakken had come up with these about a year ago.  He had decided that his path to world domination needed to be documented, and the small hovering robots could give him some dynamic camera angles.  Steering it into the grate she slowly moved it forward until she could see the retreating intruders.

            "Oh, THAT'S a nice angle," Drakken said sarcastically.

            "Just as I thought," Shego grinned, "Possible."

            "Yes, you'd recognize that rump anywhere," he chuckled.  Shego shot Drakken a venomous glare.  Turning back to the console, she called up a layout of the base's vent system, checking it against where Kim and Ron were.

            "There," she suddenly exclaimed, "Now, just a little farther."  She waited until Kim was a couple feet more down the vent and then hit a control on the console.  In the vent, the floor under Kim suddenly opened and she dropped from view.

            "KIM!" Ron tried to turn around, but the panel had already closed.  "I've failed again!" Ron thought angrily, "I've let her down."  Ron slammed his fist on the floor.  Meanwhile, Drakken was looking confused.

            "Why didn't you activate the vent flush door earlier?" he asked Shego, "You could have got them both."

            "I don't care about the weakling," Shego started running towards the elevator, "I want Possible alone."  She ran to the elevator, hitting the button for the floor she had dropped Kim to.  "No distractions this time.  I WILL win."  The elevator stopped and the doors opened to a room that was split in two.  The room was the waste recycle center.  The trap doors in the vents were flush doors used in combination with the automated cleaning system that dropped any debris in the vents into the recycle room.  Down the middle of the room there was a deep chasm.  When enough debris had been collected, water jets in the walls would wash it all into the chasm where it would be incinerated in the furnace.

            As Shego stepped out of the elevator, however, she found she had made a slight miscalculation.  Kim had been dropped on the other side of the chasm, where she was busy trying to get the door open.

            "It won't open Kimmy," Shego smirked as Kim turned to face her, "it's on lockdown.  This elevator, however, DOES work.  All you have to do is get by me."  Kim and Shego surveyed the room carefully.  The chasm was too wide to jump and the only way across was a bridge on the other side of the room.  The room was criss-crossed with grooves and arches used for filtering the vent waste.  The two girls looked at the room before them and then at each other.  Once again Shego had a hard time not believing in fate.  The filter system was identical on each half of the room, and looking at it creatively, it wasn't hard to see it as two identical obstacle courses.  Shego felt an odd sense of finality.  This would settle everything.  They both had the same path and whoever reached the bridge first would have the advantage.  It was the final comparison.  Two tracks, two people, one winner.  A simple equation.

            They both turned and started running at the same time.  Neither one looked at the other.  They knew that to do their best they had to be focused on the path ahead.  They ducked and vaulted, slid and ran, neither seeming to gain any ground.  Shego could see the bridge ahead of her and with all her strength she leapt over the last hole.  She cleared the hole and the bridge railing and kicking off the back wall, aimed for where Kim should have been.  But Kim wasn't there.  Shego caught a brief glimpse of Kim overhead.  Upon reaching the hole before the bridge, Kim had jumped it and the railing just as Shego had.  But, controlling her jump, she had hit the wall at an angle and back flipped off, sending her over Shego.  Kim glanced down as Shego sailed underneath her, kicking down with all her might onto the back of Shego's head.

***********************************************************

            Drakken watched as Ron tried to open the panel in the vent, wondering what he should do.  Looking at the flush door he suddenly smiled.  He switched on an intercom on the console.

            "Control room?" he said, "Activate the vent cleaners."  In the vent Ron was suddenly buffeted by incredibly strong winds.  He was pushed down the vent until he reached a point where it went straight up.  Ron slammed into the vent wall and was sucked up the shaft.  He flew up until he reached another grating, slamming into it and popping out of the vent system.  As he flew through the air, the room below spun beneath him, but luckily he didn't fall all the way.  Looking down he realized he was in the same room, now high above on the catwalks.

            Drakken had found Ron's dilemma quite amusing, but his laughter was suddenly cut short by an urgent beeping from another console.  Rushing over, Drakken quickly examined the read-out.

            "Shego was right," he gasped, "the engine; it's not stopping."  Then the whole room started to shake.

*************************************************************

            Shego dropped like a stone, slamming into the ground.  Kim landed clutching her shoulder, which had started to hurt again because of her running.  Walking up to Shego as she tried to rise, Kim angrily kicked Shego in the stomach, flipping her onto her back.  Kim jumped forward onto her knees, straddling Shego's stomach, and pulled back her good arm, ready to finish her off.  But, suddenly, the look in Shego's eyes made her pause.  It was a strange mix of defeat and realization.

            "You're.... better," Shego said softly in a surprised tone.

            "What?" Kim slowly lowered her arm.

            "Better than me," Shego closed her eyes, looking away from Kim, "Better at everything."  Kim slowly got up, looking down at Shego.  She didn't understand what was going on, but suddenly she felt sorry for the villain.  Shego actually looked like she might cry.  Before Kim could react though, a tremor suddenly ran through the entire base.  The walls seemed to start shaking and they could hear a roaring noise that seemed to be growing in volume.

            "The engine," Kim looked down to see Shego looking up at the ceiling.  "I knew there was something wrong."

            "How do we...?" Kim started.

            "The elevator," Shego cut her off.  They both ran for the elevator, their personal quarrels momentarily forgotten.  As they ran inside, Shego hit the button for the hanger and the elevator began to rise.

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            The hangar was shaking and vibrating as if tearing itself apart.  Ron suddenly heard a metallic snap and looked back to see a section of the catwalk fall away.  The rivets holding the catwalk up were being shaken loose.  Ron looked around frantically for a way down, but catwalks were collapsing everywhere.  Taking the only possible path, Ron ran towards the center of the room.  The catwalk under him creaked and groaned as more rivets shook loose.  Ron ran right to the edge of the walk, jumping off just as it fell, and grabbing onto the amplifier hanging above the space engine.  Pulling himself on top of it, he looked down to see Kim and Shego emerge from an elevator and run across the room.

            "It won't stop," Drakken shouted as Kim and Shego ran up to him.  "The pylons are fully charged and it's still absorbing power.  The whole thing will explode."

            "We've got to get out of here," Kim shouted above the roaring, "where's Ron?

            "You don't understand," Drakken yelled back, "the amplifier increased the pylons' power supply which means the resulting explosion will also be amplified."

            "How big?" Shego asked.  Drakken sat down with a sigh.

            "About the size of a small nuke.  We'd never be able to get far enough."  Kim felt her heart sink.

            "Where's Ron?" she asked again.  Drakken motioned absent-mindedly at the ceiling.  Looking up Kim saw him perched on top of the amplifier.  Ron was looking down wondering what they were talking about, but when Kim looked up at him the expression on her face was easy to read.  They weren't going to make it.

            "Isn't there anyway to stop it?" Shego asked.

            "No," Drakken answered sadly, "the pylons will keep absorbing power until they blow out, causing a nuclear reaction.  To stop it you'd have to destroy the connecting hardware at the bottom.  But that's in the middle of the electric field.  You'd be dead before you got anywhere near them."  By this time Drakken had to shout at the top of his lungs in order to be heard and Ron was able to pick up the last bit of conversation.

            Suddenly, everything became clear to him.  Why he always came along with Kim, even when he was no help.  It all made sense.  Kim couldn't die, and he was here to make sure she wouldn't.  His path seemed so easy now.  A simple equation.

            Kim stood below, feeling like she should be doing something, even though she knew there was nothing she could do.

            "KIM, CATCH!" Ron's shout made her look up just in time to catch Rufus.  Ron had tied a handkerchief to his arms as a makeshift parachute and tossed him down to Kim.  Puzzled, Kim looked up at Ron just as he released the fastenings on the amplifier.

            **"NO!!"** The world suddenly seemed to slow down at Kim's shout.  The rumbling and explosions seemed to fade away.  She watched in horror as the amplifier began to fall towards the pylons below.  As it reached the tips, the electricity inside seemed to leap up to meet it.  Kim caught a brief sight of Ron as the electricity snapped and twisted around him, and then the world was suddenly back up to speed again, and the amplifier bearing Ron crashed down between the four pylons, destroying the hardware underneath.  Explosions started to appear up and down the engine as Kim watched.  Suddenly a hand was on her arm, dragging her away.

            "Move it," Shego shouted, pulling Kim with her, "the whole things going to go!"  Drakken quickly activated the hangar's main doors leading to the outside.  Shego dragged Kim along, and all three of them jumped for the edge as the pylons exploded.  They tumbled down the slope outside, with the explosion roaring above them, finally coming to rest at the bottom.  For awhile they all just stood there, dirty and bruised, staring up at the smoke billowing out of the hangar.  Soon they heard helicopters, signaling the approach of the military.

            "Well, looks like we've got to go," Shego said finally, "looks like you get off easy this time Possible."  Turning to leave she was suddenly stopped by a hand on her arm.  Still staring at the smoke, Kim had reached behind her and grabbed Shego's wrist.

            "What did you mean?" Kim asked softly, letting her hand fall.

            "Huh?" Shego seemed confused.

            "When you said...I was better than you."

            "Hey, I had just been kicked in the head," Shego put her hands on her hips, "I could have said anything, I was delirious."  Kim glanced over her shoulder with an expression that said they both knew that wasn't the reason.  Shego's shoulders slumped slightly and she continued quietly.  "You beat me over and over.  No matter what the situation, you always win.  You're.... happy.  All the stuff you've been through.... it hasn't really changed you.  You're still nice, still happy.  I always blamed everyone else for how my life turned out, but you've faced the same kind of stuff and still kept your humanity.  I've lost mine.  You were stronger......you ARE better than me."

            Shego turned, walking away into the trees with Drakken following after her.  Kim stayed, her eyes still fixed on the hangar door, as if by some miracle, Ron would walk out.  But he didn't come.  Kim looked down at Rufus, still clutched in her hand.  She suddenly felt very heavy.  She fell to her knees and began to cry.

_            I had a dream once.  I saw my life laid out before me, like a jigsaw puzzle on a table.  Each memory, each experience fit together perfectly to form my life.  Suddenly the table fell.  The puzzle slid off the edge.  I tried to catch it, to hold it together, but I couldn't.  The pieces broke apart, slipping through my fingers.  And as they fell, I saw different images underneath.  Hidden truths I didn't know, or didn't want to know.  The pieces tumbled to the floor, rolling and bouncing.  I knelt amidst the pieces of my life, and realized that I would never be able to put it back together._

_This ain't the end.  Next:  A funeral with strangers._


	5. Six Feet of Eternity

_STILL don't own 'em._

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 5 - Six Feet of Eternity

_"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something." - last words of Pancho Villa_

**Japan**

            It was early morning, the grass was still covered with dew.  A lone girl ran across the grass towards a small building.  Clearly Japanese, she had black hair that hung down to her jaw line.  She wore a white training outfit, tied together with a black belt.  Upon reaching the building, she quickly knocked on the door, waiting for a response before entering.  Walking into the room, she immediately knelt down and bowed low to the elderly man in front of her.

            "Forgive my intrusion sensei, but I must speak with you."  She spoke hurriedly in Japanese.  The elderly man smiled warmly.

            "Not at all, Yori," he gestured for her to sit, "please, tell me what has troubled you."  Yori sat back, crossing her legs and began to carefully relate what had happened.

            "I entered the resting place to meditate this morning, but as I sat, there came a noise from the pedestal.  Looking up, I saw that the case was shaking.  It was actually moving around by itself.  I could only stare until it suddenly broke open and the Blade flew out, burying itself in the floor in front of me.  I do not know what this omen means, sensei, and hoped you might be able to enlighten me."

            The old man sighed, rubbing his long white beard.

            "Yes, I DID feel a strange energy this morning.  I had hoped it would prove to be something else, but your tale has confirmed my fears."  Yori sat still, listening intently for the sensei to continue.  Sighing again, the old master looked at the student with sad, weary eyes.  "I am afraid that the bearer has fallen."  Yori gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

            "Stoppable-san?" she asked in disbelief.  The sensei nodded.  The young girl bowed her head, a tear rolling down her face.

            "Ron." she whispered.

**America**

            Kim sat in a chair outside the morgue.  The military had picked her up at Drakken's destroyed base and took her to the hospital.  They re-bandaged her shoulder and treated her for minor cuts and scrapes, Kim saying nothing, a blank look on her face.  She had sat glumly on the hospital bed until two doctors came and asked her to identify the body.  Kim was silent for a while, and then finally looked up at the two nervous doctors.

            "If you'd rather not, we could wait for one of the family," the doctor offered, seeing the tormented expression on Kim's face.

            "No," she WAS his family, "I'll do it."  A last favor to Ron, she thought.  Spare his parents the agony, she owed him that.  As they entered the morgue Kim kept her eyes on the floor, as if not looking would keep it from being real.  Slowly, she forced her eyes upward to the figure on the table.  Her mouth opened to say something, but she couldn't seem to force out the words.  The two doctors looked at each other sadly.

            "Ronald Stoppable?" one asked gently.  Kim bit her lip, nodding her head shakily.  "Thank you, Miss Possible.  You can go now.  If you need anything, please let us know."  Kim thanked them and stumbled out of the room.  Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to go too far from the room, like she needed to stay near him.  Sitting down in a chair outside the door she waited.  Rufus pushed at the buttoned pocket of her pants, which Kim had fastened to make sure Rufus wouldn't have to see the body.  She undid the button and Rufus peeked out of the pocket, looking up at her sadly.  Kim patted his head, leaning back in the chair she let her head fall forward, staring at the floor.  Her mind seemed to shut down or something, for she wasn't sure how long she sat there and didn't even notice the two new doctors enter the morgue until they started talking to each other just inside the door.

            "Wow, he's in pretty good shape for being blown up," one was saying.  "Apart from the broken bones, there's only some minor burns."

            "Well, it's because of the explosion," the other one explained, "See, those types of explosions have a slight implosion of air at the beginning.  The rest of the explosion starts outside of the air pocket.  The pressure inside would still kill you, but at least it leaves a nice looking corpse."  The first doctor chuckled.  Kim suddenly felt sick.  Getting up, she staggered down the hall, almost falling through the restroom door.  Inside, she ran into a stall and fell to her knees, puking violently into the toilet.  Rufus sat on the seat, doing his best to hold back her hair.  Vomiting again, Kim finally spat into the toilet.  Falling back against the wall she slid down it until she lay on the floor, curled into a fetal position.  Her whole body shook as she alternately sobbed and gagged, vomiting a little more onto the tiles.  She didn't bother getting up, she didn't care.  All she could do was lay on the floor and cry.

            When the parents arrived the Stoppables were taken into another room to talk to the military doctors while Mr. and Mrs. Possible went looking for Kim.  The two doctors who had gone with her to identify Ron hadn't seen where she went, but a nurse had seen a redheaded girl stumbling towards the restrooms next to the morgue.  Walking in they found Kim still on the floor, no longer crying, but rocking gently back and forth.  Rufus lay curled up beside her with a worried look on his face.  They fell to their knees beside her, asking her if she was all right, trying to get her to talk to them.  Kim couldn't answer.  The voices seemed to be muted, coming to her from over a great distance.  Pulling her away from the puddle of vomit, the doctors were able to get her up, half leading and half dragging her away.  They gave her a sedative and put her in a bed, assuring the worried parents that the best thing for her was rest.

            Kim slept threw the night and the next day.  When she woke, she found her parents sitting beside her bed, their worried expressions turning to relief when they saw her eyes open.

            "Kimmy," Mrs. Possible hugged her daughter tightly as Mr. Possible stood beside her.

            "Are you alright, dear?"  Kim looked at him strangely.  Was she all right?  How could she be all right?

            "He's....... dead," Kim whispered.  Mr. and Mrs. Possible bowed their heads.

            "Yes," Kim's mother gripped her daughter's hand, "I'm sorry, Kimmy."

            "They... informed us yesterday night," Mr. Possible said slowly, "We were flown in as soon as possible."

            "I..... I... should be... doing something." Kim stammered.  She felt like she couldn't just lie in bed, not with Ron.......

            "Just relax," pleaded Mrs. Possible, stroking Kim's hair gently, "the doctors say you need to rest.  Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable will be in soon and..."

            "NO!" Kim suddenly sat up, interrupting her mother, "I can't see them."  She hid her face in her hands, crying.  "I can't see them, " she wailed again, "not after this.  I lost Ron.  I failed him...them, everyone.  It was my fault.  I killed him."

            "That is nonsense," a voice at the door made Kim freeze and look up wide-eyed and shaking.  The Stoppables stood in the doorway looking terrible, but smiling warmly at her.

            "Mr. Stoppable," she said shakily, tears running down her face, "Mrs. Stoppable...... I'm sorry.  I couldn't save him.  He died because I..." She trailed off, not being able to finish.  Mrs. Stoppable walked across the room and without hesitation, wrapped Kim in her arms.

            "It wasn't your fault, dear," she soothed, "Ronald always admired you so.  He knew what kind of danger he was in; we all did.  But he loved you so much, that he went anyway.  And I know you loved him just as much.  I know that you would have done anything to save him." Kim held Ron's mother close, and tried to convince herself that she was right.

            The funeral was to take place in two days.  Kim would help out as long as she could, but could never keep it up for long.  The day before the calling hours, Kim stopped by the high school to pick up the class assignments she would miss while out of school.  Everyone had told her not to worry about it, but she had insisted.  Truthfully, she wanted something, anything, to busy herself with.  She was going crazy sitting around all day.  After visiting the classrooms, she stopped by the locker room for some books she had left there.  As she was about to close her locker door, her eyes fell on a picture stuck in the corner of the door.  It showed Ron in his mascot outfit, the head pushed up to show his face, standing beside Kim.

            She had been surprised when he had offered to help out the cheerleading squad.  He wasn't exactly popular in school, and being part of the cheerleaders wasn't going to help that.  But he had done it anyway, going to games, camps, and fundraisers.  There had been a couple times when she had almost quit the squad, depressed over school or an especially difficult mission, but Ron had kept her going.

            "Was that why he did it?" she thought, "Just to keep me from giving it up."  She couldn't help but wonder how many things he had done just to help her.

            "Kim?"  She looked up, startled to see the cheerleading squad standing in the doorway.  How long had she been standing there?

            "Oh, hey guys," she said, "I just came in to pick up some stuff.  I'd better get going."  As she walked out everyone hugged her and told her how sorry they were.  She thanked them, knowing they meant well.  She walked across the gym and was reaching for the door when a voice behind her made her stop.

            "Kim."  Turning around Kim was surprised to see Bonnie running up to her.

            "I REALLY don't need this now," Kim thought to herself.  "What do you want, Bonnie?"  she asked, being as polite as she could.  Bonnie seemed nervous, rubbing her arm and looking at the floor.

            "Look, I know we've never gotten along," she started, "and we've done some pretty nasty stuff to each other, but..... I mean...."  She fumbled a bit, finally sighing and looking up at Kim.  "I just want to say that I'm truly sorry about Ron.  And I know we aren't friends, but I know what it's like to......... lose someone," she seemed to choke up for a second, before continuing, "so if you ever want to just talk to someone..... well, I'm here."  Kim stood perfectly still for a while, not quite being able to process what she had heard.  Bonnie had sincerely offered to talk to her.  Finally, unable to help herself, she stepped forward, hugging Bonnie tightly, crying a little on her shoulder.  Bonnie hugged her back, waiting patiently for Kim to calm down.  Stepping back, Kim wiped her eyes, looking at the other cheerleader.

            "Thanks, Bonnie." she said softly.  Bonnie nodded, turning and walking back towards the locker room.  Kim turned and left the gym, wondering who it was Bonnie had "lost".

            The next day, Kim stood in her dress at the calling hours, shaking hands and talking with the relatives and friends as they entered.  The whole cheerleading squad showed up along with quite a lot of the school.  Kim appreciated it all greatly, but couldn't help smiling as she thought how bored Ron would be by the whole thing.  He always hated suits and talking to relatives he only saw once a year.  Sighing she gazed around the room at the people, letting her mind wander to other things.  Suddenly, a loud gasp brought her back to reality.  She looked up to see several guests staring, wide-eyed at the doorway.  Following their gaze, Kim froze.  The whole room went deathly silent as all the guests caught sight of the figure in the door.  The outfit was different.  A black oriental suit with a stand up collar and black buttons with a white lace design on them.  But while the suit was unfamiliar, the hairy hands and long face were unmistakably that of Lord Monkey Fist.  As he entered, looking calmly around the room, he was followed by his monkey ninjas, though their ninja outfits seemed a little fancier, sort of like military dress uniforms.  Monkey Fist walked straight to Ron's coffin at the end of the room.  Kim clenched her fists, anger rising in her.  How dare he come here now?  Couldn't he let Ron be buried without degrading his funeral with some stupid act of revenge?  She tensed, ready to tear into him as soon as he made his move.  But the move never came.  He stood before the coffin with his monkey ninjas lined up behind him, and the group solemnly bowed once.  Turning, the monkeys quietly exited while Monkey Fist walked over to where Kim, her parents, and the Stoppables stood, bowing to the group.

            "I would like to offer my deepest condolences for your loss.  Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable, your son has brought great honor to your house.  He was.... a most worthy adversary."  He then exited the room without another word, leaving Kim and everyone else speechless.

            The calling hours finally ended and the coffin was taken to the cemetery.  Kim was glad it was cloudy.  A sunny day would have seemed mocking.  She didn't really listen to what anybody was saying, she just let her eyes wander over the landscape.  She remembered how much Ron had seemed to like the wide-open grassy hills that surrounded Middleton.  Most of the time he had been the stereotypical high school student.  He loved to hang out at the mall and the Bueno Nacho, but whenever the family had a picnic or they just came to walk around, he seemed a little quieter out there.  He seemed to like the silence.  Kim was suddenly yanked from her thoughts by a strange sight.  On a hill a little ways off she could see a group of people.  They were dressed in black except for an older man in front who seemed to be wearing some sort of robe.  At first she thought it was just some people visiting a grave, but they were all staring directly at Ron's coffin.  She watched them for quite a while and their collective gaze never left the group of mourners around the gravesite.  A sudden thump made Kim look down.  The first clump of dirt had been thrown into the hole.  She slowly walked up to the edge and watched as more dirt was thrown in, covering more and more of the coffin.  How strange, she thought to herself, that only six feet of dirt was all it took to separate her from Ron, forever.

            Kim started walking back with the group, but thoughts of the people on the hill made her hang back.  Watching from beside a nearby tree, she saw the group approach once the grave had been filled and the diggers departed.  Now that they were closer, she could see that they all appeared to be Japanese of varying ages.  Mostly grown-ups, with a few teenagers and the old, bearded man she had seen before.  As she watched, they walked up to the grave and the old man said something that Kim couldn't quite hear, though it sounded like Japanese.  One man stepped forward with a long case, opening it to a young girl with medium black hair.  The girl bowed, reaching into the case she lifted out a sheathed sword.  By the curve of it, Kim recognized it as a "katana", a sword of Japanese origin, used mainly by the ancient samurai.  Not sure what to make of all this, she kept her distance, watching to see what would happen.  The girl held the sword horizontally in her outstretched hands, as if offering it, and bowed again towards Ron's headstone.  Then, in one smooth motion that Kim had trouble following, she pulled the sword from its sheath and, stabbing downwards buried it almost to the hilt in the soft earth of Ron's grave.  Kim was too shocked to move.  The group all bowed again, and started turning to leave.  Kim suddenly felt a dark rage wash over her.  Running full tilt at the group, she burst through before any of them could react, grabbing the dark haired girl by her shirt and slamming her into a tree.

            "What was that for?" Kim shouted angrily, "Is this some kind of sick joke?  What do you think you're DOING?"

            "Calm yourself child," feeling a hand on her shoulder, Kim turned to find the old man smiling at her.  "We are only doing what must be done.  You are upset, and I apologize for torturing you further.  Please, meet us tomorrow and I will answer any questions you have."

            "Sensei!" one of the others gasped.  But the old man held up a hand, silencing him.

            "She has a right to know everything.  Besides she knew Stoppable-san better than anyone, she can be trusted."

            "I can be trusted?" Kim said sarcastically, "I think I should be asking how I can trust you."  The old man smiled.  Raising his hand he pressed his index finger against Kim's forehead, between her eyes.

            "You know already." he chuckled.  Kim could only stare as the group walked off.  Shaking her head, she suddenly realized she had a piece of paper in her hand, on it was an address and a time.  Kim looked over at the sword sticking out of Ron's grave and the scabbard lying in front of the headstone.  Walking over she reached out for the handle, but suddenly stopped.  For some reason she couldn't bring herself to pull it out.  She couldn't shake the feeling that it HAD to be there.  Perplexed, she walked slowly away from the grave, vowing to get ALL the answers from that old man tomorrow.

_Next: Kim gets answers, but more questions soon show up.  More action comin' soon._


	6. A Slight Complication

_I don't own 'em.  Quit askin'._

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 6 - A Slight Complication

_"The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there." - Robert M. Pirsig_

            Kim wasn't sure why she trusted the old man, but she waited till the next day anyway, walking to the address written on the scrap of paper.  It turned out to be an old herbal shop that sold and mixed natural medicines as well as selling incense and other such relaxers.  She wasn't sure what to say to the clerk, she didn't want to just go up and ask if an old man and a group of mysterious foreigners happened to be in the backroom.  As it turned out, however, she didn't have to ask anything.

            "Ah, Miss Possible I presume," the clerk greeted Kim as she entered.  She was a small Japanese woman of around 30, with dark hair braided down her back.  "You are expected.  Please, follow me," bowing to Kim, she turned and led her to the back of the store and motioned to a curtained doorway.  Stepping through, Kim found a rather large room with a cushioned mat on the floor.  The room was lined with many training and fighting devices such as punching bags, wooden swords, and similar equipment.  The group of people from the funeral were there, sparing and exercising.  Upon Kim's entrance all activity seemed to stop as they turned to look at her.  She was beginning to feel rather nervous, when someone finally stepped forward to greet her.

            "Kim Possible, I am honored to welcome you," Kim recognized the girl as the one who stuck the sword in Ron's grave and who Kim had slammed into a tree.  "Please forgive our lack of hospitality," the girl continued, noticing Kim's nervousness at all the staring faces, "it has been quite some time since an outsider has been invited into our midst."

            "Uh, no problem," Kim replied, looking around, "thanks for.... uh..... having... me."  Boy, THAT sounded lame, she thought.  The girl bowed and motioned behind her.

            "Sensei is awaiting you in the tea room.  This way."  She turned and led Kim across the room.

            "So, who are you, and why were you at Ron's funeral," Kim asked, not being able to wait any longer.

            "I'm afraid I can only answer one of your questions.  My name is Yori.  I am a student at our school in Japan.  I cannot answer your second question.  Sensei will decide what you must be told of that."  She suddenly paused at another curtained doorway, "I CAN tell you, however," she said softly, half turning to Kim, "that I knew Ron Stoppable.  You were very lucky to have him as a friend."  Not saying more, she pushed aside the curtain, walking into the room and bowing to the person inside.  "Kim Possible has arrived, sensei."

            "So I see," it was the same old man from yesterday, his beard a snowy white, wearing ancient-looking robes, "please join us Yori.  After all, much of this story involves you."  Yori bowed and sat cross-legged on one of the straw mats that surrounded a low table in the center of the room.  A pot and small ceramic cups set on a tray in the center of the table.  Incense burned on a small altar on the far side of the room.  Kim noticed that there were no weapons in this room.  "Please, join me for some tea, " the sensei gestured to one of the mats.  She didn't really feel like having tea, she wanted answers, immediately if not sooner.  However, she didn't want to offend the old man since, by the reaction of the others in his group, he seemed to be breaking quite a few rules by offering to talk to her.  Sitting down, she smiled and accepted a glass of the warm green tea.

            "Now, I am sure you are anxious for an explanation to our actions of yesterday," the sensei began, sipping at his tea.  "To really explain it, we must first begin with Lord Monkey Fist.  I trust you remember when he used the monkey totems to empower him?"  Kim nodded.

            "Yeah, Ron had to use them too in order to stop him," she still remembered seeing him flipping and jumping around.  It was amazing.

            "Yes," the sensei nodded, "but what neither of them knew at the time was that the totems were part of a ceremony used to choose the next bearer of the sacred Lotus Blade."

            "Lotus Blade?"  Kim's mind snapped back to the sword buried in Ron's grave.

            "Our order has guarded the Lotus Blade for centuries, keeping it safe until the next bearer would claim it.  Stoppable-san soon came to our school and had to, again, face Monkey Fist for the right to bear the sword."

            "Ron was never in Japan, he..." Kim trailed off, a memory suddenly flashing into her mind.  "The exchange program."

            "Indeed," the sensei nodded, "please do not blame him for not telling you of his adventure.  Our order has been a closely guarded secret for centuries and we asked him to swear to tell no one of us, and Stoppable-san was a man of honor."

            "But if he defeated Monkey Fist in Japan, why didn't he bring this Lotus Blade back with him, " Kim asked, "If he's the 'bearer' why did he leave it in Japan?"

            "Stoppable-san did not know he was to inherit the blade," Yori spoke up, "he only knew that he was able to wield its power."

            "Precisely," the sensei said, "The contest between Monkey Fist and the bearer occurred because both of them had been exposed to the monkey totems.  This complicated the process since there were now two possible bearers.  They had to face each other, and in winning, Stoppable-san claimed both Monkey Fists' totem power and the mantle of the bearer.  However, the Passing, the time when the Lotus Blade joins with its new bearer, had not yet come.  The Blade, therefore, returned to its resting place and the new bearer returned to his homeland without any knowledge of his future destiny."

            "So why are you here now?" Kim asked, desperately trying to take all this in.  The sensei frowned, looking worried.

            "The time of the Passing has come, but something has gone wrong.  Yori witnessed an omen of this."  He looked over at the girl.

            "The Lotus Blade broke from its case, stabbing into the floor of the resting place."  The sensei nodded solemnly at Yori's words.

            "This is an indication that something has gone out of place in the universe.  Something has happened that should not have and now we know not what will come next."  The old man paused, sipping his tea before continuing, "We brought the Blade to America because a new bearer must be chosen.  The Passing signals the beginning darkness, and a bearer must wield the sword against that darkness.  Unfortunately, the monkey idols are no more and we have yet to prepare others.  In this situation the former bearer's energy must initiate the transfer.  That is why we planted the sword in Stoppable-san's grave, the new chosen one should be drawn to the sword and through it should absorb the energy needed."

            "Should?" Kim was pretty sure she was understanding all this, but the last statement had sounded unsure, and it worried her for some reason.  The sensei shrugged his shoulders.

            "This has never happened before and the path ahead is not clear.  We know only that the sword must be brought to the former bearer, but something is changing.  We cannot see what will come in the days ahead, or what the new bearer will bring with him.  The Lotus Blade is an instrument of justice and peace, but it is still a weapon, and all weapons long for battle.  It is possible that the bearer and the Blade will be forever changed by these events, and there is no way of telling if he brings protection or ruin."  The sensei's words sent a shiver down Kim's spine.  He did not strike her as a man to worry easily, so anything that made him uneasy must be pretty serious.  That seemed to conclude his story and Kim had been bombarded with so much new and unbelievable information that she couldn't think of anything else to ask him.  Promising to keep what she had heard to herself, she followed Yori out of the room.

            "Hey, sorry about going after you at the cemetery," Kim apologized, "I feel really bad about it."

            "Do not trouble yourself," Yori waved off the apology, "you were upset and acted in defense of your friend."  Kim smiled, liking the girl and finding herself wondering about how she knew Ron.

            "He rescued me from Monkey Fist," Yori explained in answer to Kim's question, "I was impressed at his bravery even though he was not that skilled he faced the villain and defeated him."

            "Yeah, that's Ron." Kim laughed, "He always seemed to come out on top, though I never knew how."

            "His humor also surprised me.  Even in the direst situation he seemed to keep his optimistic views intact, never despairing in the face of defeat.  Though," Yori paused, looking down, "I seemed to sense a deeper part of him that he kept hidden.  A side of him that seemed hurt, hateful, and sometimes even a frightening darkness."  An image of Ron staring at his bleeding hand flashed through Kim's mind.  "He never let anyone see it.  He might not have even known it was there himself, but in moments of shame or thoughtfulness, I could see it flash through his eyes.  I wish I could have helped him in some way.  He seemed to hurt so; I hope he has found peace in the afterlife.  None deserve it more."

            Kim was intrigued by Yori's tone of voice.  She was sure there was some deeper feeling in those words, but couldn't quite be certain.  Could Ron have caught the affections of the Japanese girl?  Kim smiled inwardly at the thought.  She had always felt bad for Ron, even the girls who seemed to like him, like Tara or Zita, didn't seem to hang around for long.  Kim had never had any trouble attracting guys and this often led to Ron being left out.  He had never blamed her though and she always hoped he would find someone who would stick with him.  Contrary to what her parents and some of her friends thought, there were never any romantic feelings between Ron and Kim.  She had known him for so long it would have been like dating her brother.  No, their friendship had gone beyond romantic attachments long ago.  Now it seemed that he might have attracted the attentions of Yori.  Too bad it's too late to act on it, she thought, tears coming to her eyes.

            Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a man came running into the room, almost knocking over two people sparring.

            "I have news," the man gasped, out of breath.  "Sensei," he called, as the old man emerged from the tea room,  "I have news from the grave site!"  Kim flinched at the mention of the grave.  "Quickly, you must come."

            "Very well," the sensei motioned to several people in the room, "Hiro, Naka, Suki; please come with me.  Yori and Miss Possible, would you accompany us?"  Kim didn't need to be asked.  The group hurried to a white van and were soon pulling into the cemetery.  As they ran toward Ron's grave, Kim's breath caught in her throat.  The grave was destroyed.  Dirt was thrown everywhere, the headstone had fallen to the side, and the sword and scabbard were gone.  Kim ran straight to the edge of the hole, Yori and the rest right behind her.  Looking down, she saw the casket, smashed open and empty.

            "They took the body," Yori whispered beside Kim.

            "Why?" Kim could feel a lump rising in her throat.

            "The energy needed to wield the Lotus Blade was still trapped inside Ron.  They must have needed the body in order to absorb the energy.  But this isn't the natural way." Yori sounded very upset, "Something is wrong."

            Kim stared down into the empty grave.  Once again, her world was being torn apart around her.  Anger and grief warred for dominance within her.  Yori had said that this taking of Ron's body was not the natural way to transfer the power.  She said something had gone wrong and Kim couldn't help but feel a deep sense of dread at what this would all lead to.  As they stood there it began to rain, a light but steady downpour.  The old sensei stood behind the group.  Gazing down at the defiled grave he spoke softly, but with a conviction that none of those gathered could miss.

            "It has begun."

_Next:  The Passing has arrived and the bearer announces his presence in a big way._


	7. On a Pale Horse

_No, you can't borrow them.  They don't belong to me._

**                                                                The Lazarus Factor**

****

****

                                                                                                    Chapter 7 - A Pale Horse

_"My lands are where my dead lie buried." - Crazy Horse_

            For a while, Kim, Yori, and the rest just stared at the dug up grave, not sure what to do next.  Kim felt like she should be trying to find the trail of whoever had done this and get revenge for Ron.  The rain, however, would have washed away any signs as to where the perpetrator would have gone.  No one moved for a long time, finally the sensei spoke softly.

            "Come, let us return to our sanctuary.  There is nothing for us to do here."  The group slowly turned and walked toward the van, more than one pair of eyes glancing back towards the hole in the ground.  As she walked away Kim also looked back, the hole looming large behind her, screaming at her.  None of them said anything on the ride back.  Kim stared out the window, lost in thought.  The old sensei sat quietly, his eyes closed, softly humming to himself.  Yori later explained that it was just his way of meditating.

            Once they were back at the herb shop, the sensei invited Yori and Kim into the tea room.  Kim sat numbly on the straw mat.  As the sensei sat down Kim opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't.  She tried again, starting to feel panicked, but still couldn't get anything out.  Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder.  She looked up to see the old sensei smiling warmly at her.

            "Calm yourself, there is nothing to be done at the moment," he patted her shoulder and Kim found herself calming slightly.  Accepting a pot from the store owner he handed Kim a cup.  "Come, have some tea and we shall discuss what is to be done."  She thanked the old man as he poured the warm, greenish liquid into the cup, and took a sip of it.  It was actually pretty good and it seemed to help her calm down, though she was far from relieved.

            "How do we find this 'bearer'?" she asked, anger rising in her, "I don't care what destiny he has, he can't just dig up my best friend like that."  Once again, the tears she had been holding at bay threatened to spill over.

            "Do not worry," the sensei sipped at his tea, "it will not be the bearer's plan to hide himself.  His coming brings with it troubles, and I am afraid that he or she will be too readily found."  Yori had been silent until now, sitting quietly with her cup, staring into the murky substance inside.

            "I still don't understand, sensei," she said at last, "the power of the bearer should have been readily available through the Lotus Blade.  Why would the new chosen have to take the....body," she choked slightly on the word.

            "You must realize, child," the old man set down his cup, resting his hands in his lap, "this situation is unique in the history of our order.  Never before has a bearer NOT been chosen through use of the Monkey totems.  Now, as you say, the power SHOULD have been transferred through the sword, that is the natural way of the Blade.  However, if perhaps the power has been altered or twisted in some way, it might not be able to transfer through the sword.  In that case, a direct ceremony with the former bearer would be the only way to gain the power."  The sensei paused, sighing and taking another sip of tea before continuing, "Still, as you have pointed out Yori, this is not the natural way of it.  And it is that fact that has me worried.  If the power of the Blade HAS been twisted by these events, we have no way of knowing how this new bearer will act.  As a protector or as a destroyer."

            "But I thought you said the Lotus Blade was all about 'justice and peace'," Kim was having trouble understanding all this mystical talk and she was becoming frustrated.

            "Yes," the old man answered, "but as I said before, any weapon longs for battle.  It is possible for the sword and its bearer to fall to this longing.  This can cause them to become more violent in the execution of their mission, or worse."

            "Worse?" Kim felt a sinking sensation.

            "If the bearer falls too far into the blood lust, the destiny of the Blade could be lost in their rage.  The bearer would become nothing more than a living weapon.  Searching for battle after battle.  And weapons do not show mercy."  Kim felt herself grow heavy at the old man's words.  She had thought that Ron's death was the worst thing that could possibly happen to her.  Now, however, it seemed that a psychotic killing machine could be born using some power in his remains, and all the indications so far seemed to point to that very occurrence.

* * *

**Somewhere Else**

            The figure sat silently in the dark.  It had only been a few short hours since it had found the sword, but already it seemed to belong to the person.  Upon taking it in their hands, they had felt like their eyes had opened for the first time.  And then they felt the others.  The figure smiled at the memory of the feeling, the rush of knowledge as they almost saw the trails that the people had followed as they headed toward Middleton.  And now they were all here, that was something else the figure had felt.  Every last one of them had arrived.  Standing with the sword in hand, the person knew they would have to prepare.  A local hunting and fishing store had provided some fine equipment, and then soon found this old apartment building, long abandoned.  And that is where the figure now sat.  No lights illuminated the large lobby of the condemned building, the figure didn't need any.  Sitting perfectly still, the sword resting across their crossed legs, the figure reached out with their senses, feeling the others and where they were.  The figure smiled again, lips pulling back slightly from teeth, in a mirthless grin.

* * *

**The Herb Shop**

            Kim couldn't keep her parents or the Stoppables from hearing of Ron's desecrated grave, but it did make it easier to explain her absence.  Wanting to stick around the shop in case of any news, Kim told her parents she was helping the police track down leads.  She had wanted to go out herself and look for this 'bearer', but the sensei had convinced her to stay, assuring her that they would have news the moment anything was found.  To pass the time she joined Yori in some exercise and sparring.  Kim couldn't stop marveling at the fighting style the group used.  Instead of straight forward attacking and defense like kung fu, karate, and the other martial art styles she was familiar with, this style seemed to employ an almost amusing array of diversionary tactics.  She watched some of the others training, their body language seeming to go in one direction, only to have them lash out unexpectedly the other way.  They rolled, flipped, and even fell down, with every move turning into an attack.  She watched as one fighter was struck across the face, rolling with it he used the momentum to spin around, cart wheeling his legs upward, catching his partner in the head.  Standing again, he rushed the other fighter, only to have him roll tightly between the attacker's legs.  Kicking off the floor he actually landed, back to back, on his partner.  Rolling backwards over the man's head, he swung his legs forward, hitting his opponent in the chest before he landed.  Watching them fight, she could see why their order was represented by a monkey.

            Kim soon joined in some sparring matches and witnessed the strange fighting style first hand.  It WAS very confusing.  Often times she couldn't tell whether she had actually hit her opponent or if they had simply dodged while moving with her strike.  She held her own, however, defeating most of the fighters in the room.  Soon, the nervous feeling that had been directed toward her from the beginning, melted away.  The group gathered around her, complimenting her skill and teaching her some of their more extreme moves that she had been curious about.  This lasted through most of the night, with Kim actually enjoying herself despite the situation.  It was about one in the morning, with most of the group asleep, when news finally came.  A man in a shirt and tie entered the room, bowing to the sensei and the others.

            "Greetings, sensei.  I bring news,"  he spoke quickly while opening a bag he had in his hand.

            "Ah, hello, lieutenant," the sensei bowed back, "Miss Possible, this is Lieutenant Brad Yun, another member of our order.  He joined the Middleton police department soon after Stoppable-san's visit to keep an eye on things."  Lt. Yun nodded to Kim.

            "The station received a call just an hour ago from a club downtown.  The caller was the barman.  He said that someone had entered the club and started attacking the some of the occupants."

            "Which club?" Kim asked.

            "It's called the Nocturne.  It's a raver place, lots of heavy metal and stuff," the lieutenant pulled a VHS tape from the bag, "I wouldn't have brought it to your attention, sensei, if not for this.  The club's cameras caught the whole thing."  A TV with a built in VCR was soon brought in and the lieutenant inserted the tape.  The picture that popped up looked pretty normal.  The club was full of the late night partiers, the dance floor was packed with people.  "Now watch the upper left corner of the screen..... There he is."  The lieutenant pointed at a point on the screen.  Looking carefully Kim saw a figure making his way through the crowd.  He was wearing a zipped hooded sweatshirt, the hood pulled up, covering the face.  She watched as he made his way through the crowd to the edge of the dance floor.  Pausing for a second he turned left and right, looking around him.  "There," the lieutenant pointed again when the figure's back was to the camera.

            "The Lotus Blade," Yori gasped.  Indeed, on the figure's back, slid between the belt and pants, was the sword.  Before anyone could process this new piece of information, however, the figure suddenly turned back toward the dance floor.  He suddenly brought his arm up, pointing towards the dance floor.  Kim barely noticed some type of handgun in his grasp, before three shots rang out and three people fell to the ground.  The room suddenly erupted in chaos.  The people suddenly ran in every direction, screaming.  Kim watched, transfixed, as the figure walked calmly through the fleeing masses.  Lifting his weapon again, he brought down three more people, using only one shot for each.  Some of the people didn't attack, but moved in to attack the shooter and that was when the real horror began.

            In her many missions Kim had seen lots of brutality, but nothing compared to this.  It wasn't that the figure butchered the people, but the ease and grace with which the stranger moved seemed to make a mockery of the total carnage inflicted.  As the first man reached the figure, wielding a small bar stool, the stranger ducked underneath the attack, spinning around and unsheathing the sword in one fluid motion.  The swing was so quick that Kim didn't even realize that the club goer had been hit until blood geysered from his stomach, his torso almost dropping off his legs as he fell backward.  Another man rushed the stranger from behind.  Again, the figure spun with the sword, cutting through the man's legs just above his knees as easily as if cutting through air.  Two more fell after that, another attacked with a metal pole used to rope off areas, swinging it wildly at the figure.  The stranger easily ducked the swing, blocking two more and suddenly bringing the sword up, preparing to swipe downwards.  The man raised the bar overhead as the figure brought the sword down.  There was a sudden flash of sparks, and the bar fell from the man's hands in two pieces.  The man fell to his knees, the sword having split his head about halfway down.  The stranger pulled the sword from the man's face, letting him fall lifelessly to the ground.

            "You might not want to watch this part," the lieutenant warned.  Kim, however, couldn't take her eyes away.  The figure walked up to the nearest dead man and plunged the sword into the man's chest.  Twisting the sword, the man's chest was cracked open, blood and bone spraying in every direction.  The final straw was when the stranger shoved his hand into the open chest and seemed to yank something out.  Kim doubled over, falling to her knees.  Lt. Yun quickly handed her the empty paper bag.  Grabbing it, she vomited a couple times before she could stand again.  As she rose she noticed that a couple of the others had left toward the bathroom while Yori stood, a hand to her mouth the other bracing her against the wall, her face a pallid white.  Lt. Yun stopped the tape.

            "Whoever this is, he or she does the same thing to each body.  The total body count is eleven."

            "It looked like they pulled something out," Kim wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "could you tell what it was?"

            "No," Yun replied, "we traced the bullets though.  Seems the attacker stole the gun from Barken's, a local gun store.  Desert Eagle with a custom laser sight fixed under the barrel, took it and quite a lot of ammo for it."

            "This is not right," Yori spoke softly, her back still turned to the group, "this isn't how the Blade should be used."

            "We've got to find this guy," Kim turned to the sensei, "isn't there anything we can do?"

            "Perhaps," the sensei turned and walked to the tea room.  "Yori, please fetch the three and ask them to join me."

            "What's going on?" Kim asked as Yori hurried toward the sleeping quarters.

            "Now that we have a physical sighting of the Blade, we may be able to discover its location," the old sensei explained.  "The three are gifted with sight that reaches beyond the world we see.  They can sometimes find hidden secrets or even predict future events.  The sighting is second hand, however.  I cannot be sure if they can use a recorded image to find the Blade."

            Kim watched as two men and a young woman emerged from the other room and followed the sensei into the tea room, taking the television with them.  Kim waited, fidgeting impatiently until Yori placed a hand on her arm.

            "They may be some time," she gestured toward the other room, "you should try to get some sleep."  Kim was about to protest, but stopped herself.  She was in a horrible state and she knew it.  Sleep WOULD refresh her and from the footage on the tape she would have to be as alert as possible.

            "All right," she thanked Yori, smiling as she noticed the dark circles under the Japanese girl's eyes, "but only if you agree to do the same."

            "Very well, Possible-san," Yori smiled back, bowing slightly, "it is a deal."

            "Great.  And please, just call me Kim."

* * *

            Kim slept through the rest of the night and most of the next day.  When she went to bed she was terrified of the nightmares she might have, but as it turned out she was way too tired to have nightmares.  For all she knew, she could have had lots, but her brain was too exhausted to register them.  When she awoke, the first thing she did was to check for any news from the sensei.  After learning that there was none, she settled for a shower and some early dinner.  She spent the next few hours training with Yori, she had grown quite attached to the Japanese girl in the short time since they met, and felt that she probably needed the training to distract her from the situation as much as Kim did.

            It wasn't until around 9:15pm that the three and the sensei emerged from the tea room.  Kim and Yori immediately went to ask if anything had been discovered.

            "The video was not enough for them to discover the bearer's hiding place," the sensei informed them, "but they did receive images of a building where he may strike next.  It is a place called The Raven?"

            "It's another club downtown," Lt. Yun stepped forward, "It's only about a mile from the Nocturne."

            "Then we must make haste," the sensei motioned to the others, "he may be at this club even now.  Miss Possible, will you....."  he looked around, but Kim was not in sight.

            "She must have ducked out on her own," Yori looked worried, "we've got to stop her."

            "No, child," the sensei spoke softly to her, "she will be heading toward the same destination as us.  We must prepare ourselves if we are to face this new threat.  We must hope Miss Possible survives until then."

            "But sensei," Yori looked up at her old master, tears starting to form in her eyes.  She didn't know how to explain her fear for Kim, especially given the short time they had known each other.  It was as if Kim were the last part of Ron she could hold onto.  If Kim were to die then Ron would be totally lost to her and she just couldn't handle that.  The old sensei looked down at the young student, smiling in understanding.

            "Very well, Yori," he said quietly, "go after her.  But take care.  This bearer could be the most dangerous threat we have ever faced."  Yori nodded happily, and after getting directions to the club from Lt. Yun, ran out the door.

* * *

            Kim had snuck away as soon as she heard the name of the club, making her way up some stairs and out onto the roof.  It wasn't that she thought the others would hinder her, it just seemed to be more her responsibility.  This stranger had taken Ron's body and in some way his very destiny and twisted them into something violent and evil.  She swore he would pay for that.  Pulling out her communicator she signaled Wade who appeared on the little screen looking both relieved and worried.

            "Kim!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Where have you been?  I heard about Ron's grave, but you weren't answering, and your parents said you were with the police, but they.."

            "Wade," Kim cut him off, "look I can't explain right now.  I need directions to a club downtown called the Raven."  Wade tapped quickly on his keyboard.

            "Okay, I'm transmitting the map," a street map flashed onto the screen.  "I wish you'd tell me what's going on."

            "Later Wade.  I promise."

            "All right, but if you need help, PLEASE call me," Wade pleaded.

            "Okay Wade," Kim said, smiling, "I promise."  Kim checked the map and then jumped onto the roof of a passing bus that was going in the right direction.  She had to switch vehicles a couple times to keep going the right way, but it wasn't long before The Raven came into view.  It was a typical heavy metal, semi-gothic nightclub, with deafening music and black lights.  As Kim got closer, however, she noticed that something wasn't right.  People were pouring from the club's entrance, terror clearly written on their faces.  "I'm too late," Kim breathed.  Leaping off of the car she was riding she pushed her way through the panicked crowd into the club.  Inside the club was a chilling repeat of what she had seen on the security tape.  Six or seven bodies lay around the room in varying degrees of mutilation.  Hacked off hands and a couple heads lay on the dance floor and Kim fought to keep her food down.

            Suddenly, however, the gore was forgotten when she saw a solitary figure standing amidst the carnage.  It was the same hooded sweatshirt, zipped shut with the hood pulled up.  Kim looked at the figure just standing there and felt a surge of rage grow in her gut.  Without thinking she rushed the stranger, aiming a possibly lethal kick at the back of his head.  The figure moved at the last second, sidestepping the kick and placing one of its own into Kim's stomach.  Not letting that stop her, she lunged at the figure again, managing to knock the sword away she laid into the stranger with a brutality she'd never used before.  The figure, however, stood its ground, blocking and attacking.  Ducking under a swing, Kim landed a blow to the stranger's face.  The stranger fell back, but rolled tightly into a ball and came up standing on its hands.  Lashing out with its foot, it caught Kim across the face sending her reeling.  Recovering quickly, Kim ran towards the figure again, but the figure pushed off the ground with its hands, cart wheeling its legs as it did so.  Kim was again caught across the face and was knocked to the floor.

            Leaning against the wall for support, Kim pulled herself up.  That last move had come right from the moves she had seen the sensei's students using.  In fact, now that she thought about it, the stranger was using the exact same style.  The figure began to approach her and Kim reached over, grabbing a microphone stand from the nearby stage.  The figure suddenly stopped as Kim held the stand in front of her in a defensive stance.  She was about to rush the stranger again when his arm suddenly flew forward and she felt a sharp pain in her leg.  Looking down she saw a knife lodged in her calf.  She tried to move but another knife suddenly hit her other leg causing her to fall to the floor in pain.

            "Sorry," the figure said, "but I don't have time for this fight right now."  Kim's eyes grew wide at the words.  She knew that voice.  A noise suddenly made the figure turn.  Behind him one of the people he had attacked wasn't quite dead and had hobbled over to the bar during the fight with Kim.  Reaching behind the bar, he had pulled out the shotgun that was there and aimed it at the back of the figure.  The cocking of the weapon had alerted the stranger, however, and he dove to the side, avoiding the shot.  The wounded man fired again and again, missing every time as the figure ran and jumped toward him.  Finally, with a huge leap off of a table, the figure threw out his hand.  The Lotus Blade suddenly flew from its place on the floor, and shot straight to his hand as he flew down towards the man, his hood flying off as he went.  The wounded man didn't get off another shot, as the figure landed on top of him, driving the sword through his heart.

            Kim watched all this in a daze.  She had recognized the figure's voice, but couldn't bring herself to believe it.  Now, however, as the figure glanced over his shoulder at her with a mirthless grin on his face, the truth hit her like a bullet between the eyes.

            "Hey, KP," said Ron, "did ya miss me?"

_Next: Things start getting weird._


	8. Unwelcome Friends

_You still don't understand?  All right, I'll talk slower.  THESE..... NOT.... BELONG..... TO.... ME!!_

****

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 8 - Unwelcome Friends

_"Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate." - Thomas Jones_

**Two Nights Ago**

            It was like waking up from a dream.  He stirred slightly as he felt a tingling at his neck.  As it got stronger he slowly began to become conscious of his surroundings.  At first he wasn't worried at the darkness, he just assumed he was in his room.

            "Wow," he thought to himself, "what a dream.  I've got to stop eating so late."  But when he tried to sit up he hit his head.  He wasn't sure what was going on.  There seemed to be something a couple feet above his bed.  He soon became panicked as he felt to the sides and found that they too were blocked off.  Desperately lashing out in every direction, he soon found that there was no way out.  "I'm in a box!" he thought wildly.  His mind was screaming at him to get out, but there didn't seem to be a way.  Finally, in a state of blind panic, he started beating on the lid of his small prison.  Time passed by unnoticed as he pounded on the surface above him until, suddenly, there was a loud crack.  "It's breaking," he thought joyfully, doubling his efforts.  Suddenly, his fist slammed through the lid, but instead of the fresh air he'd been seeking, dirt came pouring into the box.

            "I'm underground," the thought dimly registered.  Had he broken free only to be suffocated in dirt?  A rising anger made him clench his fists.  He would NOT die this way.  Shoving himself up through the hole in the lid, he began scraping and pulling the dirt, pushing it down into the box.  He wasn't sure how long he dug through the earth, not even being able to breath most of the time.

            Above ground everything was peaceful, then a hand clawed its way out of the ground.  It groped around for a couple seconds until it found the sword sticking in the ground.  It instinctively grabbed the blade, latching on so hard that it began cutting into the skin.  Using the sword as leverage, another hand pushed its way through the ground, followed soon by the head and shoulders of Ron Stoppable.  Pulling himself free of the earth, he looked around.  He was confused, not sure what was going on or where he was.  As his eyes fell on the sword, however, everything came to him in a rush.

            He remembered the base, the engine, and his death.  Then another vision came to him.  He felt the presence of people, lots of people.  There was a connection between the people, he could feel it clearly.  They had been scattered across the globe for decades, but now they had all been drawn here, to Middleton.  He suddenly felt a strange emotion rise in his gut, a feeling that brought a predatory grin to his face.  They would be easy to track, and track them he would.  He picked up the scabbard and pulled the sword from the ground.  Yes, he would track down every last one of them, and he would kill them.

**Present**

            Kim stared at the thing in front of her.  She couldn't bring herself to call it Ron, not after what she had just witnessed.  This person had just slaughtered a room full of people and had jammed knives into both of her legs without a hint of emotion.  Her Ron would never have done these things.  She watched as he ripped into the chest of the dead man he was standing over, pulled something out and again turned to Kim with that same mocking grin on his face.  He started to slowly walk towards her, not in a menacing way, a casual walk like he was taking a stroll in the park.  Kim's mind screamed at her to move, to run away.  There were a couple options open to her, the exit was to her left and the microphone stand was still lying beside her, but her body wouldn't respond.  All she could do was watch as the nightmare walked closer and closer.

            As he came within an arm's reach of her she managed to pull herself up, leaning her back against the wall, as if trying to escape through the concrete itself.  He walked right up to her, their noses almost touching, the sword coming up between them to rest just under her throat.  As he held the sword to her jugular with one hand, he reached down with the other, yanking out the knife imbedded in her thigh.  Kim cried out in pain, and again when he pulled out the other one.  Tears were starting to fall from the corners of her eyes as she stared into they eyes of "Ron".  But where Ron's old eyes were filled with feeling and laughter, in these eyes she saw nothing.  They were empty with nothing but a cold gleam in them, like ice.  She felt the sword press against her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to look at those eyes any longer.  Gritting her teeth, she waited for the inevitable.

            "Geez, KP," a slightly amused voice laughed, "you act like I was going to kill you or something."  Kim's eyes slowly opened at the gentle voice and once again looked into Ron's eyes.  This time, however, the coldness was gone, replaced by the old warmth she had come to know.

            "Ron?" she asked hesitantly, afraid that any sudden moves would chase away her old friend and leave that hideous killer.  But the warmth stayed, and Ron flashed a bright, friendly smile.

            "So how have you and Rufus been doing?" he asked.  Kim didn't answer.  All the bodies in the room seemed to disappear, the sword at her throat didn't matter, and the blood covering Ron's hands was forgotten.  None of it mattered anymore, this was her Ron.  Her funny, optimistic, silly friend who could always brighten her day.

            "RON!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him as tightly as she could.  Ron wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.  Kim didn't know how he had come back to life, she didn't care.  All that mattered was that he was here and he was alive.  However, her joy was cut short when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck.

            "Sorry, Kim," said Ron, holding her against him tightly, preventing her from defending herself, "but I'm sure sensei and the others are on their way by now, and I'd rather not be here when they arrive."  Kim struggled against Ron's grip, but he held her fast with one arm.  His other hand was clamped to her neck, two fingers pressing into a soft spot near her throat.  She began to feel light-headed and darkness began to swim at the edges of her vision.  Her struggles lessened until she hung limp in his arms.  As the blackness overtook her, she looked up once more into Ron's eyes, only to find the cold, lifeless eyes of the killer once more.  Ron lowered Kim's body to the floor, but before he could leave a gasp from behind made him stop.

            Behind him stood Yori, her eyes wide in shock.  Her gaze went from Ron to the bodies around the room, to Kim, lying motionless on the floor, and finally back to Ron.  Ron smiled and took a step toward her, causing Yori to jump back in fear.  She pulled out the dagger strapped to her back and held it in front of her, pointing it shakily at the advancing Ron.  Pausing for a second he grinned at the weapon, and again advanced toward her.

            "What's the matter, Yori," he said in mock gentleness, "aren't you happy to see me?"  He continued to approach her, making her back up until she bumped into the wall behind her.

            "You...k..killed them?" Yori stammered softly.

            "Yes," Ron answered calmly.

            "All of them?"

            "Yes."

            "Kim...too?"

            "Don't be silly," Ron answered as if he was comforting a small child, "I only cut off the oxygen to her brain for a minute.  She'll wake up soon."  He was now only a couple feet from Yori and he continued to walk forward until the point of her dagger pressed into his chest.  "Are you really going to use that?"  He looked down at the dagger and back up to her.

            "I...I've... got to," she whispered, "you're... a killer."  An even bigger grin spread across Ron's face.

            "Yes," he said, matter-of-factly, "but isn't that what you want?"

            "What?" Yori was starting to panic as Ron brought his hand up and closed it around her dagger, pulling it to the side, allowing him to step right up to her.

            "Isn't that what you want?" he repeated, bringing the sword up to rest just under her jaw line.  "Isn't this what you really long for?  Fighting.  Over and over.  Never stopping?"  Yori's breath came in short gasps as Ron slid the Lotus Blade along her jaw, letting the edge slide lightly along her throat.

            "I…don't.." she stammered, unable to think straight.

            "Don't you wait impatiently for the next time?" Ron's face was now only centimeters from hers.  "Don't you secretly love the moment just as you start an attack?"  His voice had dropped to little more than a whisper.  "You keep trying to stop me….. but aren't you just longing to join in the fight?"

            The door to the club suddenly burst open with a crash.  Lt. Yun and a group of the order's fighters spilled into the room, stopping short when they saw Ron with the sword to Yori's throat.

            "Stoppable?" Lt. Yun spoke in disbelief.  Then, noticing the scene in front of him, drew his gun and pointed it at Ron.  "Move away from her, now."  Ron smiled, suddenly dodging to the side and bringing the sword up in front of him.  Yun fired twice, the first bullet whizzing by Ron's ear while the second clanged loudly as it ricocheted off the Lotus Blade.  Spinning around, Ron caught the underside of a table with the sword and flipped it toward the group.  Yun and the others covered their heads as bottles and plates crashed around them.  By the time the looked up, Ron had disappeared.

            "Are you alright?" Yun asked, hurrying over to Yori.  Yori nodded and Yun went to check on Kim.  Yori leaned against the wall, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she watched the others revive Kim.  They had burst in right after Ron's last question and she was grateful for the noise the door had made.  So loud that it had hidden her whispered answer of 'yes'.

_Next:  What is REALLY going on.___


	9. A Single Death

_Do I really have to say it AGAIN ?!!?_

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 9 - A Single Death

_"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." - Joseph Stalin_

            Kim didn't want to wake up, but people kept shaking her.  'Don't wake me up,' she wanted to say, 'I can't face it'.  As she slowly opened her eyes the first face she saw was Lt. Yun.  He was talking to her, asking if she was hurt, asking her to talk to him.  She wanted to ask why he'd woke her up.  When she had slipped away all the horror had disappeared, but now she would have to face it again.

            "Miss Possible, " Yun was saying, "please, answer me."

            "Yeah," Kim replied groggily, "I'm fine, I'm fine."  Yun sighed in relief.

            "Good, wait here, we're going to try to catch him in the alley."  Yun turned and ran with the rest of the group out the back door.  Kim sat up slowly, she felt like she should cry, but she couldn't.  Crying just didn't seem to be enough.  She glanced lazily around at the bodies until her gaze came to rest on Lt. Yun's gun.  He had put it down while trying to wake her and had left it in his haste to catch up to Ron.  Kim stared at it for a minute before slowly reaching over to pick it up.  

            She had never used a gun, but she knew that criminals did, so when training she had made sure to learn as much as she could about as many guns as possible.  Looking at the lieutenant's gun her mind dimly registered it as a standard 9 mm. Beretta.  Ejecting the clip she found it over half full and snapped it back into place.  She looked at it in her hands.  It seemed so heavy, as if its size hid the true importance of it.  Still staring numbly at the floor, she slowly raised the gun, bringing the barrel to the side of her head.  Her finger pulled lightly on the trigger, as if testing its resistance.  She slowly pushed harder, something an instructor told her flashed through her mind, 'do not pull, but squeeze the trigger for better accuracy'.  She almost laughed, 'better not mess it up,' she thought, 'be a shame to screw up your last act of life'.

            She felt the trigger give slightly under her pressing finger.  Not long now, just a little more pressure.  Her head rose slightly as she breathed in, preparing for it, when her eyes suddenly fell on Yori.  Yori had slid down the wall she had been leaning against, and was now sitting on the floor watching Kim.  Kim stared back at her for a minute or two before speaking softly.

            "I just don't think I can handle it," she felt a need to explain herself to the Japanese girl, "you've got to understand... I'm... I already feel dead."  Tears were finally starting to spill from her eyes as she looked at Yori, the gun still to her head, wanting her to understand.

            "I do understand," said Yori quietly, "and if you do this, I'm afraid I will follow you."  Kim and Yori stared at each other in silence until Kim finally lowered the gun.  She still didn't want to go on, but if she was the only thing keeping Yori alive, then she would have to.  Kim sighed, leaning back against the wall she looked over to Yori and the two simply watched each other in silence until the others returned.

            Neither Kim nor Yori said anything on the ride back to the herb shop, even though the others asked them repeatedly what had happened.  They had bee unable to find Ron, but it seemed that they had gotten there before he had retrieved whatever it was he was taking from the bodies.  Only one had been torn open while the other bodies were still intact, minus a couple hands or heads here and there.  One of the group had quickly dissected one body, and found something.  Sure that they had found what Ron had been after they quickly retrieved a similar object from every body.  Lt. Yun was able to delay the police, allowing them to finish.

            Back at the herb shop, the sensei quickly shooed away the group while leading Kim and Yori back to the tea room.  He didn't ask them any questions, he simply sat them down, wrapping them in blankets and giving them both a cup of tea.  After a few sips they began relating what had happened at the club.

            "...I couldn't get free and pretty soon I just blacked out," Kim was saying.  The sensei nodded, turning to Yori.

            "Well," she said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "I came in just after that and tried to stop him.  He knocked my dagger away and that was when the others arrived."  The sensei looked at his young student carefully, as though he thought he heard something in her voice.  If he had any doubts, however, he did not voice them.  Picking up a small bag he opened it, dumping its contents on the table.

            "And these are what you found in the other victims," the sensei looked gravely at the objects on the table.  They were small wooden beads, about half an inch in diameter, each with a different Japanese symbol carefully carved in it.  The look on the sensei's face made it clear that he recognized them, but Kim asked anyway.

            "Do you know what they are?" she asked, looking at the beads.  The sensei nodded slowly.

            "Yes," he said, carefully, "they are beads belonging to the rosary of Hachiman."

            "Rosary?" Kim picked up one of the beads, examining it, "You mean, like prayer beads?"

            "Yes," the sensei answered, "rosaries have been used in worship for centuries by many generations.  This rosary was crafted long ago.  It is said that Hachiman, the Shinto god of war, assembled it as an ultimate protection for monks traveling through dangerous lands.  Hachiman requested many powerful Buddha to carve a wooden bead, engraving upon it a power they felt was needed.  He then strung all the beads together, using his power to connect them to each other, so that one would always be drawn to the others."

            "So how did they end up in these people's chests," Kim said, on the verge of shouting, "and why is a living Ron after them?"

            "Calm yourself, Possible-san," sensei soothed her, "the rosary vanished about a century ago.  There were rumors that a clan of ninja stole them, hoping to harness the rosary's power for themselves.  The members of this clan were tracked down, but the rosary could not be found.  As for where the beads were found, perhaps this clan survived through the years and the followers implanted the beads in themselves."

            "Why?" Yori finally spoke up.

            "Perhaps partly to hide them," the old man shrugged, "and maybe partly to try and absorb their power.  To a normal person the beads are powerless alone.  Some people might be able to utilize a beads solitary power, but for most people all the beads are needed."

            "So," Kim looked at her tea, "what do we do now?  How can we find Ron?"

            "I do not believe we need to," the sensei answered, "It is clear that Stoppable-san is collecting the beads.  We now have what he wants and by the selectiveness of his victims it is obvious he can sense the beads' locations.  I believe he will soon come to us."  Neither Kim nor the old man noticed Yori shiver at the last statement.  "Our best course would be to prepare for his arrival.  Choose our place of battle and place the beads there."

            "No." Kim suddenly threw off her blanket and stood, "I'll take the beads and I'll face him when he comes."

            "Possible-san," the sensei pleaded, "I am afraid it is too dangerous.  We do not know how far the Lotus Blade and the bearer have fallen into the blood lust."

            "He's my best friend," Kim replied stubbornly, "he's my family.  I must face him alone."  The old man looked pleadingly into her eyes, but Kim's expression made her resolve clear.

            "Very well," the sensei sighed, "but, please, take one of Lt. Yun's radios.  Call us the moment he arrives, so we will be there to aid you just in case."  Kim nodded, scooping up the beads and returning them to the pouch, she hurried from the room.  Yori looked over at her sensei as he hung his head.  She couldn't remember ever seeing him look older.

            "You look exhausted, child," the old man smiled, looking up at her, "you should go get some rest.  I must meditate."  Yori nodded silently, and left the room.  She felt like she should go with Kim, but the thought of facing Ron was too much.  She wasn't afraid that he'd kill her, but of her own actions.  At the club, if the others had not entered when they did, she would have accepted his offer.  She would have fallen into the same blood lust as Ron, and what frightened her even more was that the thought actually excited her.

            Kim kept her promise and borrowed a walkie-talkie from Lt. Yun.  She knew she would have to be ready this time.  She ran with the beads, stopping off at a convenience store to grab a bottle of painkillers, and headed for the old steel mills at the edge of town.  The old mills were a maze of warehouses and factories.  Entering one she made sure the door at the far end was locked tight and then walked over to the other door, sitting down admits a pile of old sheet metal.  Opening the bottle of pills she downed a few, chewing them and swallowing.  Her legs still hurt from the knives and her shoulder wasn't 100 percent yet either.  Being careful to be perfectly silent she sat back and waited.

**The Herb Shop**

****

            Yori only slept for about an hour before she woke up and started walking around.  The others had gone to sleep and the back of the shop was empty.  However, when she glance out the window leading to the shop's small garden, she saw the sensei sitting on the small stone bench under a tree.  Walking over to the door, she opened it, standing in the doorway, still wrapped in her blanket.

            "Is something wrong sensei?" she asked the old man hesitantly.  The old man didn't turn to her, but smiled and gestured to the bench beside him.  Yori walked over and sat down.

            "I had a vision," the sensei said finally, "while I was meditating."

            "What was it?" The sensei paused at Yori's question.

            "I saw a flame," he said finally, "A single, bright flame.  It burned and shimmered with a strength that seemed to belie its size.  There was a glow of warmth all around it.  Then I saw a hand.  It looked to be frozen, almost as if made of ice.  The flame reached out to it, offering its warmth, and the hand closed around the flame.  But the flame's warmth was not enough to thaw the hand and the flame smothered and died."  The old man looked at the ground, sighing heavily.

            "What does it mean sensei?" Yori asked softly.

            "I do not know, Yori.  But I am afraid that I have made a grave error in allowing Possible-san to face the bearer alone.  I would go after her, but I know not where she went."

            "Perhaps Lt. Yun knows," Yori said, "Kim borrowed one of his radios.  Maybe he can tell us."

            "Ah, " the sensei smiled, "the student teaches the master.  Very good child, let us go to him."  As they went to find Yun, Yori couldn't help but scold herself.  Of course it was too dangerous, she thought, why didn't she go with Kim.  Being afraid was no excuse to abandon a friend.

            "Well, as long as she keeps the radio on I COULD track the signal," Yun answered once they had found him.

            "Excellent," the sensei turned to the door, "let us hurry then."  Yori followed Yun and the sensei out the door.  She was terrified of seeing Ron again, but Kim had kept going for her back at the club and she couldn't turn her back on her new friend now.

**The Warehouse**

****

            Kim wasn't sure how long she waited, but suddenly she heard footsteps entering the warehouse.  She carefully peeked out of her hiding place and watched as the figure walked to the middle of the warehouse and stopped.  She slowly made her way to the door, suddenly leaping up and slamming it shut, locking both of them in.  Turning around she found Ron already facing her.

            "I wondered when you'd make your move," he smiled.  Kim didn't return the smile. She glared darkly at her old friend.  Ron just smiled and held out his hand.  "You obviously aren't real happy to see me, so I'll just take the beads and go."  Now Kim did smile.

            "The beads huh," she said walking forward, "sure, you can have them."  She tossed the pouch over her shoulder.  "You just have to go through me."  Ron narrowed his eyes, frowning.

            "KP...." he started, but Kim cut him off.

            "Don't you dare call me that," she shouted, "Only my best friend ever called me that and he's dead.  You are NOT him.  I don't know WHAT you are, but you are NOT Ron."

            "Kim," Ron said warningly, "don't make me do this."

            "What's the matter," Kim taunted, "you killed all those people in those clubs, you shouldn't have any problem with me."

            "KP..."

            "I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!!!"  Kim lunged at Ron, her fist connecting with his head, spinning him around.  Blocking her next two attacks he whipped around, hitting her across the face.  Kim, however, was not going to be stopped so easily.  She didn't seem to be fazed by any of the hits she took as she continued to tear away at Ron, both dishing out as much punishment as they took.  Kim was determined to end this whole mess here.  Both doors were locked, no way out for either of them.  Ron's death had been hard enough and now this killer with Ron's face was driving her insane.  He would pay for it.  Even if she had to kill him, he would pay.

            The fighting continued, both Ron and Kim now bloodied and bruised.  Ducking under Ron's swing, Kim's eyes suddenly fell on the Lotus Blade on his back.  As she passed under him, she reached out and grabbed the handle of the sword.  Spinning away, she pulled the sword from its scabbard.

            "Well," she said smugly, looking at the sword, "let's see if you're as tough without your little pig sticker here."  She turned back to Ron and suddenly there was an explosion.  Kim looked around dazed.  She expected to see fire and debris, she was sure she had heard a loud boom.  She began to feel light headed and her fingers seemed to lose all their strength as the sword fell from her hands.  What was wrong with her?  She dimly noticed a small red dot dancing about on her chest and she suddenly realized that her shirt felt wet.  Looking down she noticed that her shirt and stomach were covered in blood.  Confused she looked up to see Ron standing in front of her, a smoking gun in his outstretched hand.

            'He shot me,' she thought to herself, looking at her front and then back to the gun.  She smiled slightly as darkness rushed in around and a final thought ran through her head.  'Desert Eagle with modified laser sight under barrel.'  The training wasn't wasted.  She would have hated to die not knowing what had killed her.

_Next: Things have gone far enough._


	10. Burnt Bridges

_I don't own them.  I don't own anything.  Geez, just get me a gun so I can end this._

****

****

****

**The Lazarus Factor**

****

Chapter 10 - Burnt Bridges

_"A man who has never made a woman angry is a failure in life" - Christopher Morley_

            It was a small group that piled into the van to find Kim.  The sensei, Yori, Lt. Yun, and two others.  But what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in equipment.  Yori and the other two fighters had several weapons strapped and hidden on them while Lt. Yun had borrowed a shotgun and a couple tear gas canisters from a patrol car.  They followed the signal of Kim's walkie-talkie to the abandoned steel mills.

            "She's in one of the warehouses," Yori stated, staring up at the buildings.

            "What makes you think so?" Yun looked around, trying to get an exact location for the signal.

            "They're wide open," Yori explained, "she can lock the door.  No where for him to run."  The sensei nodded and looked toward Lt. Yun.  All the steel was disrupting the radio's signal, but soon Yun pointed over to one of the warehouses.

            "There," he shouted, "she's in that one."  Yori's blood ran cold.  She could see from here that the door to the warehouse was open.  She prayed that they had arrived before Ron, for she knew that if Ron had shown up, Kim would have closed the door to keep him from slipping away.  'She wanted it to end', Yori thought, 'she was determined to end it here'.  Yori only hoped that determination was enough.  The group ran over to the warehouse and Lt. Yun and one of the fighters pulled the doors completely open.  They walked in and Yori screamed in shock and grief.

            Kim was laying face down on the ground, a small stream of dark red blood oozed its way across the floor.  Her face was turned toward the door and they could see the blank stare in her wide open eyes, her mouth hung open, blood and saliva mixing underneath.

            Yori was the first to move.  She ran over to Kim, crying, kneeling down and carefully turning her over.  Lt. Yun was already calling 911 on his cell phone as the others moved over to the lifeless body.  The sensei looked down at Yori, kneeling in Kim's blood, crying over her motionless friend.  A horrible agony was in his eyes as he knelt down.  He closed his eyes and laid a hand on Kim's forehead, tilting his head as if listening for something.

            "Is....is she....she," Yori looked at the old man, waiting anxiously for his answer.  The sensei frowned.

            "There is a small spark," the old man said quietly, "but it is already fading away.  I am not sure she will survive."  He looked sadly at his young student, grief and guilt apparent on his face.  That guilt was mirrored in Yori's own feelings.  How could she have been so selfish?  To abandon her friend just because of her own petty fears.  A small voice inside her insisted that the fear was not petty, but it did nothing to make her feel better.

            "An ambulance is on the way," Lt. Yun walked up behind Yori, pausing he looked to the sensei, "should we call her parents?"  The question was not an easy one.  If they called the Possibles, their existence might be discovered, not to mention the explanation of how she was shot which would end up involving the Stoppables as well.

            "We have to call them," Yori continued to cry, still holding Kim's body.

            "Of course we will child," the sensei soothed her, "but we cannot reveal ourselves."  He looked to Lt. Yun who nodded.

            "I'll take care of it," he said simply as the ambulance sirens started to draw near.

            "Thank you Yun," the sensei bowed, "now the rest of us must depart, quickly."

            "No," Yori shook her head frantically, "I can't leave her.  I've got to stay."

            "I could tell them she was a witness," Lt. Yun offered.  The sensei smiled gratefully at him, and placing a hand on Yori's head for a second, turned and left with the others.  The ambulance arrived a couple seconds after they left.  Lt. Yun gently pulled Yori away as the paramedics began working on Kim.  They did their best to stop the bleeding and gently loaded her onto the gurney, putting her into the ambulance.  Yori and Yun road in the back with one of the paramedics while he used a mask and breather to try and get Kim breathing again.

            When they got to the hospital it was around 1:50am.  Yori and Yun were told to wait while Kim was rushed into the emergency room.  The Possibles showed up soon after, frantically asking every doctor and nurse they passed were their daughter was.  Yori watched numbly as Lt. Yun went to meet them.

            "Mr. and Mrs. Possible?" Yun walked up to the two parents.

            "Are you the officer that called us?"  Mrs. Possible ran over to Yun, "What happened?  Is she alright?"

            "Is she stable?" Mr. Possible walked up behind his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Can we see her yet?"

            "Please," Lt. Yun motioned to the chairs along the wall, "sit down."  The three walked over and sat down a couple seats away from Yori.  "As I'm sure your daughter told you, she was assisting the police in the investigation of the vandalizing of Ronald Stoppable's grave.  She followed a lead down to the steel mills on 54th street alone.  She had a police radio with her, but we were not able to get to her before she was shot."  Yun knew it was a flimsy story, but the Possibles were so concerned for their daughter that they didn't question it.

            "Is she with you?"  Mrs. Possible asked shakily, looking over to Yori.

            "She was nearby when the shooting occurred," Yun nodded, "and I want to question her on anything she may have seen or heard."  Mr. Possible looked rather suspiciously at Yori's clothing.  The black form-fitting outfit DID look somewhat odd.  Yun had reminded her to leave her weapons with the others when they left, but the belts and straps that they hooked to were still there.  But once again, Kim's well being over-shadowed any doubts he might have had.  

            They waited for hours, Mrs. Possible often getting up and pacing the floor, unable to sit still.  When the doctor finally came out of the operating room time seemed to slow down for the four waiting people.  Yori could have sworn that it took the doctor 15 minutes to walk over to them.

            "Mr. and Mrs. Possible," he asked the two parents who nodded, looking like deer caught in headlights.  "Well, we've got her stabilized.  She was very lucky, the bullet didn't hit any organs, which is honestly, a miracle given where she was shot.  It went between her lungs, under her heart and just above her stomach.  If you HAD to be shot in the torso, that's where you'd want to be shot."  He paused, wiping off his glasses as he continued, "I won't lie to you though.  It's still touch and go right now.  She lost a lot of blood and there's still a chance she could take a turn for the worse.  We should have a better idea of her chances in the next couple hours."

            "Can we see her?"  Tears rolled freely down Mrs. Possible's face.

            "You can look in on her through the observation window," the doctor pointed down the hall, "but you'll need to wait a couple hours until we're sure she's going to pull through."  The Possibles thanked the doctor and hurried down the hall, followed closely by Yori and Lt. Yun.  None of them spoke as they reached the window, Mrs. Possible covering her mouth with her hands and crying into her husband's shoulder.  Kim lay on the table inside, a white sheet covering her up to the neck.  A tube ran from her mouth and an IV was in each arm.  Blood could still be seen on the sheet and on her neck and arms.

            None of the four left the window for the next two and a half hours, watching various doctors and nurses check Kim's IVs and read-outs.  After about three hours the doctor returned.

            "She's still relatively stable and the blood transfusions seem to be working," he spoke calmly and slowly, trying to relieve the panicked group, "we'll be moving her to a room where you can sit with her.  She'll probably be out of it for quite a while, but barring any unseen complications, I think she'll pull through."  The Possibles fell into each other's arms, crying in relief.

            "I'm going to call sensei and let him know," Lt. Yun whispered to Yori, who nodded, tears running freely from her eyes.

            It took about 15 minutes for Kim to be moved from the operating room to an actual bed.  Mr. and Mrs. Possible followed the doctors the entire time, sitting quietly with Kim after they had left.  Yori wanted to go in with them, but she was only supposed to be a witness, and the parents might get suspicious if she insisted on being there.  So instead she waited outside the door, listening carefully for the rhythmic beeping of Kim's heart monitor.  Lt. Yun had been forced to leave briefly to fill out a report on what happened.  Yori hoped that the other officers believed his story, she'd feel bad if he got in trouble for helping, even if he was a member of their order.

            Inside the room Mrs. Possible sat in a chair beside Kim's bed, her husband stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders.

            "You know," Mrs. Possible started quietly, "I always knew that something like this could happen, but I never really worried about it much.  I'm really not sure how.  It seems like something that I WOULD worry about."  Mr. Possible frowned at the guilty tone in his wife's voice.

            "It wasn't any lack of thought on our part," he said, sadly, "I never worried much about it either, but I think that was mostly because of Kim.  She never made it seem dangerous."

            "True," Mrs. Possible smiled, "she always acted like it was more of a fun hobby than anything dangerous.  I guess it just seemed for anything to actually happen to her."

            "Though her missions seem to have gotten a little more dangerous recently," her husband added, "she's been hurt a lot more recently."

            "Do..." Mrs. Possible looked up at her husband, "... do you think we should make her stop?"  They had discussed this before, but had always put off making a decision.  Mr. Possible looked down at his wife and smiled.

            "Knowing Kimmy, do you really think we could make her?"  Mrs. Possible smiled at her husband and squeezed his hand.  "No," he continued, "this is Kim's life and we have to support her.  But I think we CAN impose a few more precautions on her after this."

            "Like what," his wife smiled, "a bullet-proof jacket?"

            "I was thinking more along the lines of a tank," Mrs. Possible laughed at her husband's joke, leaning back into his arms.  They watched Kim for a few minutes in silence until Mr. Possible finally spoke.  "I'm going to see if I can find that police officer.  I'd like to ask him more about what happened to Ron's grave."  Mrs. Possible nodded.  'How horrible was that,' she thought to herself as her husband exited the room.  She could only imagine how Kim must have reacted when she found out.  The Possibles had gone over to the Stoppables house when they had heard.  The two were in a terrible state.  Mrs. Stoppable couldn't stop crying.  Looking up at Kim, Mrs. Possible wondered why all their children seemed to be suffering so much all of a sudden.  She scratched her neck, feeling a prick like an insect bite.  Sitting back in the chair she stared at Kim, the beeping of her monitor a constant but reassuring rhythm.  She suddenly felt very tired.  Her head slumped forward as her eyelids closed.  She was soon sound asleep and couldn't see the figure that climbed through the window.

            Ron looked around the room.  He had used a small, drug-tipped needle fired through a blowgun to knock out Mrs. Possible and hoped to be gone before her husband came back.  Reaching into his pocket he pulled out one of the small wooden beads.  Clenching the bead in his hand he closed his eyes, his brow furrowing in concentration.  For a couple seconds the room was silent, then the slow beeping of the hear monitor slightly increased in pace.  Kim stirred slightly in her bed, her eyes blinking open.  It looked like she tried to say something, but ended up gagging on the tube in her throat.

            Ron walked over, pulling the tube from her mouth and taking out the IV needles.  For a while they just stared at each other, neither saying anything nor showing any emotion in their expressions.

            "So, " Ron finally said in a calm, conversational tone, "how have you been?"

            "Okay," Kim's voice was still a little weak, "considering."  Ron nodded.

            "I thought I should apologize," he said, sitting down on a nearby table, "but seems stupid now.  Apologizing for shooting your best friend."

            "And knocking me out at the club," Kim said.

            "Yeah."

            "And killing over a dozen people."

            "Okay"

            "And not telling me your alive."

            "All right, I get the point," he held up his hands in surrender.  They were silent for a moment, until Kim finally spoke again.

            "So how am I here," the last thing she remembered was seeing the gun in Ron's hand and given where she was shot, she was amazed she was still alive.

            "Well," Ron explained, "as stupid as it sounds, I WAS really careful when I shot you."  He was right, it DID sound stupid.  "What I mean is, I didn't hit any internal organs or anything.  I figured the others would get you help before you bled to death, but they didn't show up as soon as I thought they would, so I got worried."

            "How do you know when they showed up?" Kim looked down at her lap as she spoke.

            "I hid up in the rafters to make sure someone came in time," Ron continued, "I was worried when they took so long, so I came here after mostly everyone had left."  Kim looked over at her unconscious mother.

            "Will she be okay?" It was more a statement than a question, but Ron answered anyway.

            "Yeah, it's just a powerful sleeping drug.  I actually got the plants for it from that herb shop's garden."  He paused, looking over at Kim.  "Listen," he said, "I went too far.  I know that seems obvious, but I don't know what else to say.  I snuck in here to try to use this," he held up the wooden bead, "its power is restoration, and while it's not as powerful as it would be when combined with the others, I thought that it might be enough to put you safely out of danger."  Kim sat, looking down for a while, thinking.

            "Before," she said finally, "What you said before; you called me your best friend.  Am I still your best friend?"  It was a question that had plagued Kim for the past several hours.  Ever since the club, she had convinced herself that her Ron was dead, and this new Ron was a completely different person.  Now, however, with him sitting across from her, talking with her and learning that he had actually watched to make sure she would be okay; now she wasn't sure.

            "Yes," he answered her, "though I realize I may not be yours anymore."  Kim looked up at him, narrowing her eyes.

            "Why did you do it?" she asked bluntly, "Why are you after these beads, why did you have to kill those people?"  Ron was acting a little more like his old self, but his recent actions still overshadowed any tenderness he might be showing now.  Ron sighed, looking at Kim as he began to explain.

            "It's kind of hard to explain," he said slowly, "When I first woke up, or came back from the dead or whatever, I was confused.  But as soon as I held the Lotus Blade I suddenly knew all this stuff.  I knew the history of the Blade, the rosary, the people who took it, everything."

            "How did you come back?" Another question that had haunted Kim.

            "I can't really explain it technically," he said, frowning, "the best I can say is that the Lotus Blade needed me and so it brought me back."  He stopped for a second, staring at the floor, as if trying to come up with the words he needed.  "It was like it gave me a piece of itself and forcing that piece in shook up some of the stuff that was already in there."  He sighed, "I'm afraid I'm not making much sense."

            "And the rosary?" Kim prompted.

            "Well, from what I learned from the Blade, the rosary was taken by the Zenryoku, a clan of ninja that's been around for two or three centuries.  In order to hide the rosary from those seeking it, they separated the beads and sewed them into the chests of the most powerful of their warriors.  As each warrior died it was passed to the child or student of his or her choice.  They scattered across the world, protecting the beads and training another to take over when they died."

            "So why are they all here in Middleton?"  Most of this was pretty much what the old sensei had guessed, so Kim was keeping up pretty well.

            "None of the ninja were powerful enough to use the rosary, so the idea was to protect the beads until one of their order achieved this power."

            "And someone has?"

            "Yes, and now all the beads are being drawn to him."

            "And he just happens to be in Middleton," Kim raised an eyebrow, "how did that work out?"

"Hey, don't ask me," Ron shrugged, "it's some weird mystic destiny thing.  At least that's what the Blade keeps telling me.  You know I was never any good with existential stuff."  Kim smiled.  He sounded so much like his old self, but there was still one more matter to discuss.

            "And why did you have to slaughter all those people," Kim's smile faded quickly as she looked over to Ron.

            "It was easier," Ron shrugged, no hint of emotion in the statement.  Kim looked down at her lap.  She had hoped that somehow Ron was back to normal, but it seemed that the monster from the club was still there, somewhere just below the surface.

            "And this guy's evil?" She asked, trying to get her mind on something else.

            "Bad as they come."

            "Worse than you?" She looked up at Ron, making sure he heard every word.  Ron simply smiled.

            "Let's say his badness is more of the senseless nature," Ron smirked. 

            "Then I want to help," Kim stated plainly.  It WAS her job to stop evil villains, but also she didn't want to let Ron out of her sight again, no matter what he had become.  Ron looked doubtful.  "And if you won't let me help," she said quickly, seeing his expression, "I'll get in your way as much as possible."  Ron chuckled slightly.

            "No pun intended," he laughed.  To her surprise, Kim almost laughed too.  "All right," Ron continued, "sounds like fun, but you might want to invite Yori in.  She's been listening outside the door the entire time."  Kim looked over as the door slowly creaked open and a very timid looking Yori stuck her head in.

            "Did you get all that?" Kim asked the girl.  Yori nodded, shrinking away when Ron hopped down from the table.  Kim noticed this and wondered at it.  Sure, Ron had changed in a terrible way, but Yori seemed afraid to even look at him.  She kept her eyes firmly on Kim or the floor.  If this bothered Ron, he didn't show it.

            "Well," he said cheerfully, "I suppose this calls for a trip to the herb shop.  Your can't fight ninjas in a hospital gown, KP."

            "What about my parents," Kim suddenly cried, looking at her still dozing mother, "I can't just disappear.  They'll have a heart attack."

            "Heart attacks," corrected Ron, which got a venomous glare from Kim.  "Well, can't you just leave them a note or something?"  Kim didn't like it, but she supposed that it would have to do.  Writing out a quick letter she left it on her pillow and turned to follow Ron who was headed for the window.

            "Wait," they both stopped and turned at Yori's voice.  "In the club," she asked hesitantly, "why didn't you just tell us what you were doing?  Why did you…" she paused as if reconsidering what she was about to say.  "Why did you do what you did?"  She finished quietly.  Both Yori and Kim looked to Ron.  Ron's mouth pulled back in another menacing grin.

            "It was fun."

_Next: Preparing for war.___


	11. War Machines

_Disney owns everything.  The characters, your house, your car, **AND YOUR SOUL!!!**_

**The Lazarus Factor**

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Chapter 11 - War Machines

_"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should get too fond of it." - Robert E. Lee_

            The journey back to the herb shop was a silent one.  Ron had gotten a car from somewhere, (probably stolen, thought Kim) and he sat quietly at the wheel, driving through the darkened streets.  Kim cast quick glances at her old friend, trying to read his expression even though there was none.  Yori's expression was easy to read.  She sat in the back of the car, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, looking very nervous.  'That should be my position,' Kim thought to herself, after all, she had been the one Ron had shot.  And yet here she was, sitting next to him, surprised at Yori's fear.

            To Yori, however, the fear was more than justified.  She had almost accepted Ron's offer to join him in his rampage, but she had convinced herself that it was only the strangeness of the moment that had tempted her.  Ron's sudden resurrection, the closeness of him had twisted her mind into thinking she wanted what he offered, and she had sworn that she would not be tempted again.

            But she had already failed.  At the hospital, even before she heard his voice through the door, she had felt a dark tug at her soul.  Even now, sitting in the back seat, she felt like she heard something whispering to her from Ron's direction, offering her things she would never admit to wanting.  Her eyes betrayed her also, constantly being drawn to the Lotus Blade lying beside Ron.  Yori felt a need to touch it, hold it.  She forced her eyes away from the sword, clenching them tightly, willing herself not to look at it again.  She didn't notice Ron watching her in the rearview mirror.

            "Maybe me and Yori should go in first," Kim finally said as they pulled up to the herb shop, "just to explain everything to the sensei and the others."

            "He'll already know I'm here," Ron stated simply, stopping the car and climbing out.  "I'm going to wait in the garden."  Without another word he walked around the building towards the fenced in gardens.  Kim watched him go and turned to walk in the front door when she noticed that Yori was still in the car.  She was staring out the window at where Ron had disappeared behind the shop, a strange expression on her face.  Kim shivered, remembering the expression on Ron's face when she had found him in his room, blood running down his arm.  It seemed so long ago, but Yori's expression was eerily similar, and Kim found the memory haunting her yet again.

            "Yori?" Kim called softly, tapping on the window.  Yori jumped, her eyes slowly coming into focus on Kim.

            "Sorry," she said, opening the door and getting out, "I was just thinking of something else."  It didn't sound very convincing and Kim began to wonder if something was REALLY wrong with the girl, something she wasn't telling anyone.  She wanted to ask Yori what it was, but the Japanese girl had already started walking towards the herb shop.  Sighing, Kim followed her through the front door and to the back room.

            The sensei was standing at the door to the tearoom and as Kim approached, she could tell that Ron had been right, the old man DID know that Ron was there.

            "It is good to see you well, Possible-san," the sensei bowed, smiling at her, "we were all extremely worried."  He paused for a minute, his smile disappearing.  "He is here with you," it was a statement more than a question.  Kim nodded, pointing towards the gardens.  "Ah," the sensei nodded suddenly smiling again and gently pushing Kim and Yori towards a side door, "you both must be exhausted.  Go and get some sleep.  We will discuss everything when you are rested."

            Kim wanted to protest, but she suddenly felt very tired, as if her body had forgotten the events of the day and had just been reminded of them.  Reluctantly she went to the sleeping quarters, not bothering to change out of the hospital gown.  Yori went a little less reluctantly.  She prayed that sleep would clear her head.  Ever since the hospital she hadn't been able to think straight and she was feeling completely worn out.  They both fell into bed and were asleep almost immediately.

            Yori slept till around mid-day when something woke her up.  She didn't know what it was for there was no one there and no sounds from outside, but she also knew that she hadn't woken up herself.  She got up, slipping on the loose, gray robe she wore when not training.  Looking briefly over the sleeping Kim, she headed into the main room only to find it empty.  'The others must have gone for supplies or something,' she thought.  Feeling a cool breeze she looked up to find herself in the gardens.  She didn't remember heading for them, she had just been walking around aimlessly.  Now she found herself at one end of the garden with a plain view of Ron Stoppable, sitting on a stone bench at the other end.

            He didn't move or even look at her, he simply sat, holding the sheathed sword upside down by the handle, its end resting on the ground.  She didn't hear him call or anything, but suddenly her leg was moving, taking a step towards him.  Her other leg followed and soon she was walking slowly towards his position.

            "So," Ron finally spoke, still not looking up as she stopped a couple feet from him, "finally came to see me?"  Yori willed herself to leave, but she couldn't even bring herself to look away.  "Tell me what you want," Ron's voice was even and calm, no hint of emotion in his words, just a quiet insistence.  At his question, Yori found her eyes drifting to the Lotus Blade yet again.  He noted the movement of her eyes and smiled, turning the sword and offering her the handle.  Yori's hand lifted of its own accord, trembling slightly as it reached out to the sword.  Her fingers wrapped around the handle, squeezing tightly as soon as they made contact, and she slowly pulled the Lotus Blade from its sheath.

            The Blade glinted in the sun as she held it before her, looking mesmerized by the silver metal before her.  Her other hand reached timidly up to touch the metal blade, her fingers sliding over it.  Suddenly her hand clenched around the sword's blade, squeezing hard enough to draw blood.  She held it there for a minute before slowly letting go, bringing her hand before her face, looking at her gashed palm as if she was going to cry.  Her hand had moved on its own, as if she had no control over it.  Also, just as her hand was closing around the blade, she was horrified to realize that there was a feeling of anticipation in her gut.

            "What's wrong with me?" she whispered, tears sliding down her face.  Ron watched the blood drip from Yori's hand.  Looking down at his own hand he ran his finger diagonally downwards across his palm, tracing the scar that was forming there.

            "Honestly?" Ron looked up at her, his voice, for once, free of the mocking tone, "I don't know."  She looked over at him, surprised at this moment of sincerity.  "The Blade seems drawn to you," he continued, "like there's some connection, but it doesn't know what it is."  Ron and Yori stared at each other in silence until a sound drew their eyes to the doorway as the sensei walked into the garden.  Yori jumped, dropping the sword into Ron's hands and folding her arms inside her robe's sleeves to hide her bleeding hand.

            "Yori, Stoppable-san," the old man greeted them, bowing to each.  Yori bowed back, fidgeting for a moment before excusing herself and walking quickly back into the shop.  The two watched her go and then turned back to each other.

            "Master Sensei," Ron greeted, nodding his head to the old man.  The sensei bowed back, sitting down on the bench as Ron slid over to make room.  They sat in silence for a while until Ron finally broke it.  "You knew there was a connection between her and the sword," Ron stated simply.

            "Yes," the old man replied, "I did.  She was always very aware of the Lotus Blade.  One morning she told me she had felt a strange sense of excitement when she had entered the Blade's resting place.  That turned out to be the same day you were exposed to the monkey totems."  He sighed wearily, "but I had always assumed that the Blade would hold the answers."

            "That seems to be the only answer it doesn't have," Ron shrugged, "I can hear it calling to her, but it doesn't seem to know why."

            "It is indeed a mystery," the sensei rubbed his chin, "but perhaps one left for another day.  From what I've learned recently, we may be facing a terrible threat."  Ron nodded.

            "Yes, the Zenryoku clan has found someone who can wield the rosary of Hachiman," Ron paused, looking over at the old man.  "You know the Zenryoku," he said, "and how they will use the rosary's power."

            "Indeed," the sensei nodded, "the Zenryoku have always been a violent clan.  Do you know where they are?"

            "I do now," Ron answered, "they must have already acquired several of the beads and were using their power to hide themselves from me, which is why I went after the others first.  Once I had collected enough beads I was able to break through their mental walls and find their location.  But I'll tell you the rest later, after Kim wakes up.  I don't want to have to tell all this twice."

            "Very well," the sensei smiled, "then I shall leave you to your thoughts until later."  Ron thanked him and watched the old man walk back to the shop.

            Inside, Kim had just woken up and had gone to take a shower.  As she got out of the shower she stopped, looking at herself in the mirror.  She ran her finger over the scar just below her chest where Ron had shot her.  She looked at the scars on her shoulder where she had been stabbed and at the burn scars on her right hip where Shego had tagged her hard with those gloves of hers.  She stared at the scars marring her skin, a feeling came over her that they were slowly covering up the real her.  The normal Kim Possible was gradually being replaced with this new, scarred, angry person.  Ron had his share of scars too, she knew.  They had both taken their share of punishment in the field, though admitingly, Ron's was usually do to his own mistakes.  

            Not all of them though.  She remembered the set on his back from when a bridge had collapsed under her.  Ron had grabbed her arm, trying to pull her up when Shego had found them.  She had come down hard, swiping her burning hands across his back.  He didn't let go, however, managing to lift Kim up in one pull, flipping her towards Shego.  Kim had defeated her of course and she and Ron had escaped, but she could still see the lines on his back from where her fingers had burned him.

            Kim sighed, pushing the thoughts of her old friend from her mind.  He was gone now, and she had to deal with what he had become.  Taking one last look at herself, she turned and began to dress, wondering how everything had fallen apart so quickly.  It had only taken two or three days to destroy her entire existence.  The simple times of going to school and foiling Drakken's latest, and usually silly, plan seemed to be a long time ago.  'Is this my world now' Kim wondered, 'this pain and misery?'  Looking in the mirror again she could swear that something was different about her.  Was this the new Kim Possible, this scarred, miserable thing?  Or, even worse, was this the real Kim all along?  Was the happy Kim who joined the cheerleaders and hung out at the mall just a paper-thin facade that she had constructed to fool herself?  

            'It's like Ron,' she thought suddenly.  She seemed to be changing much the same way he had, only at a slower pace.  Maybe dying left a huge scar on Ron's soul that had turned him into this malicious killer.  Would that happen to her?  As more and more scars were added to her body, would they slowly cover over the old Kim and replace her with a hardened and resentful fighter?  Kim pulled on the rest of her clothes and left the washroom, trying to push the thoughts from her mind.  But they still lingered in the corners, haunting her with their unspoken answers.

            When she was ready she went looking for either Ron or Yori.  One of the students told her that Yori was in the sleeping quarters and Ron was out in the garden.  Not wanting to bother Yori in case she was sleeping, Kim braced herself to talk to Ron.  Every time she looked at him now, she felt grief at the loss of her friend and anger at this new killer who had replaced him.  She walked into the garden and straight up to Ron, still seated on the stone bench.

            "So," she said, "what are you doing."

            "I was letting you and Yori rest," he replied, looking up at her, "You both looked exhausted and I figured we could wait until you got some sleep to discuss our next step."

            "Gee, how nice of you." A hint of sarcasm tinged her voice as she turned to leave.

            "You're wrong, you know."  His voice stopped her in her tracks.

            "What do you mean," she asked, turning to look at him.

            "You think I replaced your old Ron, but I didn't."  He looked at Kim with hard eyes, "This is me, KP.  It always has been.  Things have changed, but I am still Ron Stoppable.  The same Ron Stoppable you hung around with all your life.  I am not some evil spirit or living weapon that has taken over Ron's corpse.  I am ME!"  Kim stared at him in silence, finally turning away, hiding her face from him.

            "I can't believe that," she whispered, "I'm sorry, but I can't believe that you are capable of all this, that you were ALWAYS capable of it.  If I believed that...... " she trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air unfinished as she walked back into the shop.  Ron sat by himself for a few minutes before rising and following her through the door.

            Ron had agreed to talk to only the sensei, Kim, and Yori.  The three of them were already waiting for him when he entered the tearoom.

            "So what's the deal with these ninja guys," Kim asked shortly, not making eye contact with Ron.  The sensei sat quietly, sipping his tea while Yori, still in her gray robes, sat quietly, keeping her bandaged hand hidden from the others.  Ron sat down, accepting a cup of tea before answering.

            "One of their leaders has finally achieved the power needed to use the rosary," he explained, "his name is William Keys."

            "William?" Kim raised an eyebrow at the very un-ninja like name.

            "Well, you have to remember that it's been a long time since the clan fled Japan," Ron continued, "Keys was actually born right here in Middleton which is why the others gathered here.  He already has almost half the beads to the rosary and the Zenryoku clan has been preparing for this moment for decades."

            "How prepared are they?" Yori asked, looking worried.

            "They've been recruiting new members the whole time," Ron paused, sipping his tea, "and now all of them have gathered in Middleton.  I don't know the exact number of followers, but I can say that they ARE an army.  In every sense of the word."

            "An army?" Kim felt a sinking feeling in her gut.

            "An army," Ron nodded, "I'd guess close to three hundred fighters, maybe more."

            "Couldn't we call the police," Kim asked, "heck, couldn't we call the national guard."

            "It would do no good," the sensei finally spoke up, "with the rosary in their hands and such a force at their disposal, they could not be stopped in time."

            "True," Ron agreed, "and besides that, what would we tell them.  'Hey, you've got to come and shoot a bunch of ninjas who are going to use a magic necklace to spread chaos and destruction'?"

            "He's right," Yori nodded, "they'd never believe us."

            "So, " Kim asked, "maybe we should go for the beads?"

            "My thoughts exactly," Ron answered, "Me, you, and Yori sneak in, grab the beads and get out.  Without the rosary we could handle them, especially if we use the rosary ourselves."

            "Alright," Kim agreed, "so where is this Keys?"

            "The Zenryoku have gathered at a factory about a mile north of here," Ron explained, "They're using the factory's smelting equipment to make a huge number of weapons.  Master sensei asked your police friend to get the blueprints to the building so we can plan the best way to enter."

            "Indeed," the sensei nodded, laying the blueprints on the table, "and the lieutenant was successful."  The next hour was spent going over the plans of the factory, discussing the best routes and the security measures in the factory.  It wasn't anything high-tech, but with so many ninjas in one place they didn't need high-tech.  Once a plan had been agreed upon, Ron, Yori, and Kim left the tearoom to prepare.  Kim was pleased to find that Lt. Yun had stopped by her house and picked up her gear.  He said that her parents were worried sick, but he had tried his best to assure them that she was fine.  Kim thanked him, checking her many gadgets and slipping into her normal mission outfit.

When she was done she walked out into the other room and noticed Yori sitting alone in the garden.  Walking out to her, Kim sat down beside her.

"Yori," she began, "is something wrong."  Kim followed the Japanese girl's gaze down to her bandaged hand.  "Oh my gosh, what happened?" Kim didn't remember Yori being hurt.

"Nothing," Yori crossed her arms, hiding the wrapped hand.  She was silent for a minute before looking over at Kim.  "I…. I don't want to go," she said softly, "I just can't shake this feeling….." she trailed off.  Kim put her arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Yori," she soothed, "it's okay.  I'm scared too.  I mean, who wouldn't be scared facing an army of ninjas."  She hoped that her little joke would cheer Yori up, but she simply looked away.

"It's not that," she said finally, "I'm not scared, I… " she paused again, as if considering whether or not to continue.  "I want to go," she said finally, "I want to fight, I want…. I want to… kill them."  Yori looked over to Kim, tears running down her face.  "I want to tear them apart.  Why do I want that?"  She looked pleadingly at Kim, but the redhead had no answer.

"Why don't you stay… "Kim started, but Yori cut her off.

"No," she said flatly, "this is more important.  You need my help."  She looked around helplessly before standing.  "I've got to get ready," she mumbled as she hurried back to the shop.  Kim watched sadly as Yori left.  Something was really wrong with the girl and it seemed to be eating her up inside.  Kim put her head in her hands, praying that this would all be over soon.

_Next: Tons o' fighting.___


	12. Kim vs 100 Ninja

_Look I'm not sayin' it again._

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 12 - Kim vs. 100 Ninjas

_"A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions." - Anonymous_

            The car containing the three teenagers stopped a couple blocks from the factory.  The factory was one of the only industrial businesses to survive Middleton's ruralization.  The small town had originally relied on the factories and steel mills for its livelihood, but as times changed the factories became obsolete and Middleton evolved into a more residential area.  The Gromer Factory, however, had kept going by providing cheaper priced metals to small businesses and by drawing on a rather extensive private fund.  A few years ago its slow downward spiral had almost reached its end when a private owner purchased the whole factory.  The factory no longer sold metals, but the machinery could still be heard running.

            The buyers, of course, were the Zenryoku.  Hiring themselves out as assassins and bodyguards kept the clan very wealthy and they purchased the factory, using the machinery to make weapons for their army of followers.  The factory was divided into two buildings.  One held the equipment to melt and shape the metal while the other housed cutting and welding machines.

            "I can't pinpoint the rosary's exact location," Ron was saying to Kim and Yori, "so we'll have to check both buildings."

            "We'll check out that one," Kim pointed to the melting building, "You take the other one."

            "All right," Ron answered, "but if you see Keys DON'T try to take him alone.  Even with only half the rosary he'll already be crazy powerful."  Kim nodded and headed silently for the factory building with Yori.  Kim had gotten Yori with her on purpose before Ron could say anything.  Though she was slightly nervous about being alone with Ron it was more for the Japanese girl's benefit.  Yori was a mess of nerves around Ron, and Kim could only imagine the state she'd be in if she were alone with him.

            Creeping carefully up to the building, Kim and Yori used grappling hooks to climb to the roof, inching their way to a skylight to try and see inside.  Below, in the building, they could see a large group of ninja training and talking below.  The building was filled with machines, mostly for melting metal.  The pieces of steel were dropped into a heated pit.  Above the pit, a machine produced a gel that fell into the pit.  The gel was flammable and could burn for quite awhile before evaporating.  This kept the metal in a liquid state.

            "There's a window over on that side of the building," Yori whispered, pointing, "We could get to the upper catwalk from there."

            "Sounds good," Kim answered, "the walk goes all the way around.  We should be able to tell if Keys and the rosary are here from up there."

            "No need to hunt for me," Kim and Yori whirled around at the new voice behind them, "I'm right here."  Standing behind them was the man called William Keys.  He was about 6'2'' with dark brown hair and a thin beard.  He was obviously not Asian and had an American accent.  His outfit was the same as the other ninjas' except that it was white with different Japanese symbols adorning the collar and sleeves.

            Kim recovered quickly, jumping straight up while whipping around she aimed a kick at the man's head.  Unfortunately, instead of connecting with Keys' skull, she found her ankle grabbed by a hand.  In one movement, almost too quick for the eye to see, Keys caught her kick and slammed his fist into her gut, knocking the wind out of her, all while she was still in mid-air.  Kim hung limply from her leg, trying to catch her breath while Yori reached behind her, unsheathing two daggers and leaping at Keys.  Still holding Kim by her leg, Keys dodged Yori's attack, spinning around and kicking one of the daggers away.

            Kim reached up, trying to get a hold of Keys' arm, only to be slammed into the roof, disorienting her again.  Yori gripped her remaining dagger and attacked him again.  Keys moved to the side, grabbing Yori's wrist and flipping her over, she slammed onto the roof, the dagger clattered across the metal surface.  She tried to rise, but found a foot pressed into her throat, pinning her to the roof.  Looking up she found herself staring into the smirking face of William Keys, half of the rosary draped around his wrist.

            "Well now," he smiled, "I know who the redhead is.  Kim Possible, fighter of crime, but I don't recall ever seeing you before."

            "You better worry about me," Kim coughed, trying to catch her breath, "just give me a minute and I'll kick your..."

            "Yes, yes," Keys interrupted, "I have nothing to learn from you.  Why don't you go play with my friends downstairs."  He suddenly swung Kim over his head, slamming her into the skylight, sending her crashing down towards the floor below.

            "**NOOO!!!"** Yori cried out in anger, trying to push Keys off her.  Keys only smiled.

            "You, however," he leaned down toward her, "you can tell me something."

            Kim frantically grabbed for her grappling hook as she fell, firing it at the first target she caught sight of.  The hook caught the railing of a stairway, the line straining as Kim's weight pulled against it.  Kim swung to the right, hoping to catch herself on the side of the stairway.  However, the line caught against a thin edge of machinery and the weight on the other end snapped the line in two.  Kim fell again, crashing into a table and rolling a few feet before finally coming to a stop.  She pushed herself painfully, up to her knees.  Looking up she found herself surrounded by an army of ninjas.

            Up on the roof Keys still had Yori pinned to the ground.  Leaning over slightly he grinned at the helpless girl.

            "Now that I've gotten rid of the unwelcome company," he smirked, "let's have a little talk."  Yori looked up at his face, the image of Kim falling through the skylight flashed through her mind as a dark hatred began creeping around her brain, exploding suddenly into a white, hot rage.  Keys barely noticed a wave of blackness flash across her eyes before she suddenly grabbed the foot that was holding her down, and tossed him across the roof.

            Keys got up quickly, confused.  The power of the rosary gave him power, speed, and agility well above a normal person's, yet he hadn't seen the attack coming.  Looking up he was amazed at Yori running towards him at a speed a normal human could never match.  He caught the punch she threw, feeling the blow much more than he should have, and using all the speed the rosary beads gave him, threw out his hand, grabbing Yori's head.  Yori screamed as something like electricity jolted through her body.  She fell to the ground, breathing heavily as she tried to get her legs to move.  Kneeling down in front of her, Keys placed his hands on either side of her head.

            "Well, if you won't talk to me," he said with mock disappointment, "I'll just have to look myself."  Yori suddenly felt as if someone was slowly pushing a red, hot needle into her brain.  Memories came boiling to the surface, playing out like movies on the surface of her mind.  She tried to force them down, to hide them, but the needle only pushed deeper causing waves of agony to spread throughout her body.  It seemed like an eternity before the burning stopped and Keys removed his hands, letting her slump to the roof in a heap.

            "So," he smiled, "an ancient cult that guards this 'Lotus Blade'.  Fascinating."  He rose, walking around Yori's huddled form as he continued.  "And this boy who wields the sword, Ron.  You seem to have some rather deep, and rather confused, feelings for him."  Yori cursed herself for letting him get to those thoughts.  "You know, with half the rosary AND this sword, it seems your Ron would have no trouble defeating me," he smiled menacingly down at Yori, "but with your help, I think I may have a plan."  Grabbing Yori by the ankle he walked off toward the edge of the roof.

**********************************************************************************************

            Meanwhile, down in the warehouse, Kim slowly got to her feet, watching the ninja slowly advance toward her.  She quickly looked around, memorizing her surroundings.  Noticing a spot in the crowd that was slightly thinner, she suddenly ran towards it.  She didn't try to fight the ninjas since that would just get her surrounded.  Instead she simply flung wild blows at them as she passed that would either knock them over, or force them to avoid it, giving her time to get out of reach.  Breaking through the outside she ran towards a narrow catwalk that ran between two rows of machines.

            The narrow bridge forced the ninja to travel in single file.  Kim used this to her advantage, fighting one ninja at a time and knocking them backwards into the ones behind them.  She knew that this was a temporary solution though, so she wasn't too surprised when some of the ninja started making their way around to the other side of the catwalk and others even started scaling the machines.    Kicking another ninja backwards, she turned and ran toward the other end of the walk before the ninja could trap her on it.

            Reaching behind her, she pulled the buttons off of her back pockets and giving them a slight squeeze, stuck them to the sides of machines on either side of the catwalk.  After a couple seconds, just as the ninja started to pass them, the buttons suddenly squirted a liquid into the air that immediately turned into a thick gas.  Kim ran off the catwalk and turned around to see ninja stumble out of the cloud covering their eyes.  It wasn't anything fatal, but their eyes would be killing them for quite awhile.

            Her celebration was cut short as the ninja started jumping over the smoke, and the ones who had gone around the walk started closing in on her.  'I'd better think of something else real quick,' she thought as she noticed some of them picking up the weapons they had been training with, 'or I'm going to end up dead.'  She started laying into the ninjas nearest her, hitting them as hard as she could, not bothering to make sure they stayed down before moving on to the next.

            She remembered something one of her trainers had said.  'Fighting a group of foes is much different than fighting a single one.  Groups get in each other's way, groups are more easy to distract with wild movements.'  He had explained to her that it was better to create chaos than to try and be careful.  Taking that advice to heart, she took every opportunity to flip and kick ninjas into their comrades.  It wouldn't last long though.  The ninjas knew how to work as a team and they would get around her diversions eventually.  They suddenly broke off the attack, backing away from her.

            Looking around, Kim noticed that the ninja with weapons were moving into a flanking pattern around her; they were setting up for the kill.  Kim glanced around desperately for an escape when her eyes fell on the melting pit with the flammable gel leaking into it.  A plan quickly formed in her mind as she ran towards the pit, barely dodging the ninjas who tried to stop her.  She jumped over a worktable filled with tools and other things, grabbing a pair of gloves as she went.  The gloves were made of asbestos, thick and heavy, they came down over her forearms when she put them on.

            She knew that a pair of asbestos gloves would HAVE to be around the fire pit, it was only common sense.  Slipping on the heavy gloves, she vaulted up onto the gel machine.  At the top there was a hole where a mixer stirred the gel, keeping it loose enough to pour.  Dipping her gloved hands into the gel, Kim then jumped down beside the fire pit and plunged her hands into the flames.  The gel on the gloves ignited in a flash.  She could feel the heat on her hands, almost too much to handle, but the gloves did not burn.

            The ninja chasing her suddenly stopped, looking wide-eyed at the girl standing in front of them, her hands twin balls of flame.  Kim didn't give them time to recover.  'Create chaos'.  The flames flared and sparked as she rushed into the group of ninja, slamming the nearest one in the chest.  There was a small burst of flame as she hit him, his clothes catching on fire.  He fell to the ground frantically trying to put the flames out.  Kim attacked the next, throwing blows every which way, trying to incapacitate as many as she could.

            It seemed her plan was working when she suddenly was hit in the gut, sending her flying back.  She slid across the floor, catching herself before she fell into the melting pit.  The ninjas had retrieved steel staffs from the arsenal that was lying around the room.  One had managed to catch Kim in the stomach, sending her flying.  She quickly rose, watching as the ninja inched toward her, causing her to back up slightly until her foot suddenly struck a heavy chain lying on the ground.

            Grabbing the chain, she swung it into the stream of gel pouring from the mixer.  The gel splashed onto the chain, spraying down its length until it hit the flames on Kim's hands.  The liquid all along the chain instantly ignited coating it in fire.  Kim wasted no time in striking at the ninjas with the weapon, knocking them over, leaving their clothes to catch the flames.  The crowd around her quickly began to dissipate as they backed up or fell over, rolling around, trying to put out the flames that licked at their clothing.

            Taking advantage of their momentary hesitation, Kim ran for the ladder of a catwalk.  She jumped onto it, still holding the flaming chain.  She reached the walk and turned to see the remaining ninja running after her.  She started to swing the chain again and the ninja hesitated, expecting a renewed attack.  Instead, she released the chain, letting it fly out over the floor.  Everything seemed to slow down as the ninja watched the fiery chain sail over them.  Suddenly their eyes went wide as they saw the chain fall towards the vat of gel.  Kim turned and dove out a window as the flame-covered chain ignited the gel, causing the machine to explode.  Kim tumbled to the ground below.

            'Well,' she thought, rising and tossing the flaming gloves to the side, 'THAT was a little too close.  Now, I've got to find Yori and..'  She stopped herself in mid-sentence.  'No,' she thought fiercely, 'I've got to find Ron first.  He's the only one with a chance of beating Keys.'  Unfortunately she hadn't landed in a particularly private place.  She had dropped out into the middle of the factory grounds and her presence had already attracted several guards.  Kim backed up against the wall, unlike the previous group, these ninja were already well armed.  The one in front unsheathed his sword and lunged at her.

_Next: It all ends._


	13. An Eternity of Endings

_If you need to know if I own these things, look at the first 12 chapters because I refuse to do it again._

**The Lazarus Factor**

Chapter 13 - An Eternity of Endings

_"If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking." - George S. Patton_

            The ninja lunged at Kim, his sword raised to strike.  Her mind began racing, trying to find a way out, when a shout from overhead caught her attention.

            "Kim.  Catch," Kim looked up toward the voice only to see something silver falling towards her.  Her mind suddenly snapped back to her nightmare, the thin, sharp piece of metal impaling her between the eyes.  But the object did not strike her, instead it fell in front of her and stuck in the ground.  Surprised, the ninja and his comrades hesitated.  Looking up Kim saw Ron standing on the roof, and what he had dropped had been the Lotus Blade.

            The ninja quickly recovered from the distraction, and he rushed her again, bringing his sword down in an overhead slash at Kim's head.  With little time to act, Kim grabbed the Lotus Blade, bringing it up to block the attack.  Kim felt a jolt pass through her as she grabbed the sword and as the two weapons clanged against one another, everything seemed to slow down.

            Kim looked around, amazed.  She looked around at the group of ninja, seeming to move towards her so slowly now.  The one that had attacked her seemed to be underwater as he recoiled from her deflection of his sword.  She could see the twitches in their muscles and feel the movement of the air they displaced.  Every little action suddenly spoke volumes to her, telling her what each person was going to do before they had done it.

            In the back of her mind she came to the conclusion that this must be the power of the Lotus Blade, but the rest of her brain could only register the power and strength that the Blade was pouring into her.  The ninja were still moving and the others had drawn their weapons and were running towards her, but the fight was already over.  She had decided how to beat all of them almost immediately.  A malicious grin spread across her face as she watched them attack.  They rushed her all at once, their swords drawn.  Kim waited for them, and as they all reached her at the same time, she finally moved.

            The ninja never had a chance, Kim was a blur of motion, blocking their every attack, the grin never leaving her face.  It seemed for a while as if she was toying with them, but then she finally tired of the game.  Ducking under a swing, she rolled behind the group, slashing two across the back before they could turn around.  One tried to catch her from the side and was caught in the chest by Kim's sword.  The remaining three jumped at her only to hit empty air, glancing around they tried to find where she had gone.  One of them looked up just in time to see her descending on them from the massive jump she had made seconds before their swords had reached her.  One was knocked down and stabbed through the shoulder with his own sword, pinning him to the ground.  The other two didn't have time to react before Kim dashed behind them, slicing the tendons in their legs, causing them both to drop to the ground in a painful heap.

            Kim glanced around at her defeated opponents, smiling slightly at her victory, though she felt a slight disappointment at how easy they were to beat.  If only they would have been stronger, it would have been so much more fun.  A thump behind her signaled the arrival of Ron, jumping down from his perch on the roof.  Kim didn't even need to turn around to know it was him.  Something seemed to call to her, telling her it was him, it felt like he was a piece of herself, like someone being able to recognize their own hand out of a group of others.  She turned, the half smirk on her face matching his own.  She wanted him to be with her, to stay by her always.  Ron held out his hand and suddenly all the new feelings and sensations drained away, leaving the normal Kim shakily holding the Lotus Blade and staring wide-eyed at the men who lay on the ground bleeding.

            "What.... what did I... do?" Kim stammered, dropping the sword into Ron's waiting hands.

            "I'm sure you could have handled yourself," Ron replied, carelessly, "but I thought I'd better play it safe, so I allowed you access to the Blade's power for a little."

            "But, I.... enjoyed it," the disgust was evident in Kim's voice.  The feelings that the Blade had engendered were still clear in her mind.  She had loved fighting the ninja, loved slicing into them with the sword, loved the sensation of power, and it had all felt so right.  Now though, with the sword's power gone, her natural feelings were back and she was appalled at her own thoughts and actions.

            "Kim," Ron said, sheathing the sword, "you've got to understand.  The Lotus Blade is a weapon and it exists to fight.  It doesn't perceive the world the same as a person.  It sees both worlds, the living and the dead, so it doesn't have the same values for life that you do.  If someone dies, the sword can still find them in the afterlife.  To the sword, no one ever really dies, so to it, killing someone who may deserve it isn't perceived as really evil."

            "I guess now I understand why you're so..."

            "Evil?" Ron cut off his friend.

            "Excessive," Kim narrowed her eyes at Ron.  His explanation had not relieved her at all.  Now she just felt like anyone, no matter how good, could easily become a killer.

            "Look," Ron said gently, "if it's any consolation, you didn't actually kill any of them."  Kim sniffed slightly.  He WAS right.  The ninja were cut and hurting, but they would live.  Ron noticed the slight brightening of Kim's face.  "I thought you'd feel better if you could still feel superior to me," he laughed.  Kim opened her mouth to protest, but Ron held up a hand to stop her.  "Just kidding, KP," he smiled, "now where's Yori."

            "Keys," Kim quickly explained.  She couldn't be feeling sorry for herself now, Yori still needed help.  "He knew we were here.  Caught us by surprise and tossed me through a skylight.  I don't know what he did with Yori."

            "Well, let me set your mind at ease," Kim and Ron turned towards the voice only to see Yori's limp body tossed through the air and land heavily at their feet.

            "YORI!!"  Kim ran to her the girl, kneeling down and feeling for a pulse.

            "Oh, don't worry," Keys said, striding confidently towards them, "she's still alive.  If a little worse for the wear."  Ron glared at the tall man, slowly walking over to Yori.  Kneeling down to help her, he suddenly felt as if something was wrong, the sword seemed to be alarmed, but he didn't know why.  As he reached out to Yori her hand suddenly came up.  Grabbing his shirt, she pulled herself up, slamming into Ron, sending them both falling backwards.  Recovering quickly from Yori's surprise attack, Ron threw the girl off him.  Getting up he watched as Yori slowly rose from the ground, her head seeming to lull a bit before snapping up to stare at him.

            "Yori," Kim yelled, "what are you doing?"

            "Please, don't blame her," Keys laughed, "I'm afraid that it's all my doing.  You see, this young man was coming to destroy me.  And with half the rosary and his interesting sword, he had a really good chance of doing just that.  I, of course, could not let this happen, so I was forced to rearrange this young lady's mind a little."

            "Rearrange her mind?" Kim glared with unconcealed loathing at Keys.

            "To put it simply," he smiled, "I took all those little things in her head like loyalty and free will, and shoved them all down into a little box and locked it.  I needed her to get close to you."  A look of grim realization suddenly washed over Ron's face as he checked one of his pockets.  Not finding what he was looking for, his eyes slowly rose to watch as Yori raised her hand.  From it dangled Ron's half of the rosary.

            "Crud," Kim mumbled, wide-eyed.

            "Thank you miss," Keys said with mock gentility as he took the beads from Yori.  "Now," he continued as he started attaching the two halves together, "kill them."  Yori ran forward, grabbing two swords from the fallen ninja as she went.  Both Kim and Ron were surprised at Yori's speed.  "Your friend is quite amazing," Keys called, "I'd really like to know where she gets this power from."

            Yori was, indeed, fighting a lot better than she ever had before.  She attacked Kim and Ron with a speed that forced them to retreat, blocking her lighting strikes.

            "Keys has the entire rosary.  We can't let him escape."  Kim gasped, as she and Ron dodged a horizontal swipe and back flipped away, giving them some breathing room.  "What do we do?"

            "The only thing we can," Ron stated flatly.  Kim felt a sinking sensation as he ran towards Yori.  The two collided and Kim could barely follow their movements as they blocked and slashed at each other.  Suddenly there was a shower of sparks and Yori's swords were cut in two by the Lotus Blade.  She jumped back, glaring at Ron, and reached behind her, pulling out a dagger.

            'She won't stop,' Kim thought furiously to herself, 'what's Ron think he's going to do?'  Yori charged Ron again, but to Kim's surprise Ron made no move to intercept her.  He stood perfectly still, his sword held at his side, as their former friend rushed toward him.  Kim desperately wanted to look away, but found her eyes glued to the two figures.  Yori drew near Ron, raising the dagger to strike, when Ron suddenly raised the sword, spinning out of her path, knocking the dagger downwards as he spun.  As Yori went by him, stumbling from the force of him knocking away her dagger, he brought the sword around with his spin, thrusting it behind him.

            For Kim, time itself seemed to stop as she looked at the horror in front of her.  Ron stood with his back toward Yori.  Yori stood with her back close to Ron's, her head bent, staring at the blade that jutted out of her abdomen.  Blood slowly soaked her clothes, turning the black fabric darker.  She raised her head looking at Kim, though the redhead could tell she was talking to Ron as well.

            "I'm.... sorry," the Japanese girl rasped, as a small stream of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.  Tears began to blur Kim's vision as she watched Yori slip off the sword's blade and fall, lifeless, to the ground.

            "Ah," the voice of Keys was like nails on a chalkboard to Kim, "it seems my little puppet is dead.  Oh well, only to be expected I suppose."  Ron turned his gaze to Keys, his eyes filled with a silent rage.  "I can tell you're VERY determined," Keys mocked, "but you seem to forget that I have the entire rosary of Hachiman and I'd wager that the power of the Japanese god of war is more than a match for your little sword there."  Ron didn't answer, he simply raised the sword to an attack position.

            Keys wrapped the rosary around his wrist.  "Very well," he sighed, "I can see you're determined to make one last doomed stand."  Keys clenched his fist, summoning the full power of the rosary, and rushed at Ron.  Holding the sword out behind him, Ron charged towards Keys.  Kim watched helplessly as the two flew towards each other.  As they neared, Ron brought the sword around, swinging it towards his opponent, as Keys drew back his hand and aimed an attack at Ron.

            The Lotus Blade and Keys' fist flew directly at each other.  A bright flash blinded Kim as the two met, she could feel energy crackling around her as she forced her eyes open.  She looked over to see the two fighters seeming to be momentarily frozen, Keys arm thrown out, his fist connecting with the sword's blade as Ron swung it.  Then she felt a shockwave spread out from the two, and suddenly Ron was thrown back, crashing into a pile of discarded metal and boxes.  Kim was stunned, looking over at Keys, who still stood in the same spot, his hand smoking slightly.

            "Well," he said, breathing a little hard, "that sword was a little more powerful than I thought.  But still not enough in the end."  Smiling he turned and headed into one of the buildings.  "See to your friend Possible," he called over his shoulder, "I have an army to raise."

            Kim ran over to where Ron had been thrown.  Shoving aside the junk, she finally found her friend laying face down, his hand still clutching the Lotus Blade.  The sword's blade was scorched and cracked and the handle was split.

            "Ron," Kim called softly, hoping he would answer, "Ron, please, wake up."  But Ron didn't move.  Tears slid down Kim's face as she turned away.  For a couple minutes she stood there, her face in her hands, crying softly.  Then she stopped crying.  Her head slowly rose, her eyes fixing on the door Keys had gone through.  Hate burned in her eyes as she turned and searched Ron for his Desert Eagle.  Finding it she ejected the clip, making sure it was full.  She then started toward the building, picking up one of the ninja's swords as she went.  She knew there wasn't really any chance of winning, but she was determined to make Keys pay, or die trying.  He had destroyed a huge part of her life, all he could do to her was kill her, and with two of her best friends dead, she wasn't really to big on living right now anyway.

            As Kim followed Keys into the factory, Ron's fingers twitched slightly.  His hand tightened on the destroyed Lotus Blade and he slowly raised his head.  He sat still for a minute as if listening to something.  The sword was still calling to him, but it was different this time.  The sword wanted something.  Something it hadn't known before, but knew now.  Ron looked at the sword, listening, and then looked over to Yori's body.  He looked back to the sword and then again at Yori.  And suddenly he understood.

            Inside the factory, Kim carefully made her way to Keys' position.  Doing her best to keep out of sight, she reached a hiding place directly behind him, hoping that if she could take him by surprise she might have a chance.  However, her hopes were dashed in the next second.

            "I know you're there Miss Possible," Keys called, "You must know you can't win, the power of the rosary makes me pretty much invincible.  I really suggest you turn around and leave."  Kim didn't answer.  She had climbed the machinery she was hiding behind and leaped off the top, firing at Keys as she did.  Keys spun around to face her, using the power of the rosary to dodge the bullets.  Kim spun in the air, turning around completely, she sailed over Keys and landed facing his back.  Drawing back the sword, she shoved it into his back as hard as she could.  Hitting his back, the sword bent and snapped, pieces falling to the floor.

            Kim stared in disbelief at the broken sword and Keys' unmarked back.  The tall man slowly turned around, a triumphant smile on his face.

            "You don't catch on too quick, do you?"  He smirked, suddenly grabbing Kim by the throat and lifting her off the ground.  "You can't hurt me, no one can."  Kim squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the hand tighten, slowly crushing her throat.

            "Mind if I try?"  The voice stopped the squeezing of the hand.  Kim's eyes flew open at the familiar sound.  Keys threw her away, but she was sitting up almost immediately, her eyes fixed on the person who had just spoken.

            "Ron!" she cried happily, "I thought you were dead."

            "Yeah," Ron grinned, glancing over at Kim, "you thought that when they buried me too, and look how wrong everyone was."

            "This is all very touching," Keys scoffed, "but I already proved I was more powerful than your sword.  Why do you insist on dying in some futile fight?"

            "I don't think we were quite ready last time," Ron smiled, raising the Lotus Blade to a ready position, "we'd like to try it again."  It was then that Kim noticed the Lotus Blade.  It was no longer cracked and scorched, its silver blade seemed to almost glow in the factory's dim lighting.  Keys frowned at the boy in front of him.

            "Very well," he spat, "I don't mind killing you a second time."  Ron and Keys ran at each other once more.  Kim could swear she saw small ripples of electric like energy shoot out as Keys blocked Ron's strikes with his bare hands.  Ron flipped backward, making Keys raise his arms to block the sword.  Landing in a crouch, he leaped forward, under Keys raised arms, dragging the Lotus Blade across Keys' gut.  Ron landed behind him and for a moment neither moved.  Then Keys slowly looked down at his side.  A gash could be seen through the hole in his clothes, not a deep one, but a definite scratch.

            "Impossible," Keys turned, his eyes wide, "the rosary should protect me from any harm."  He looked over to where Ron was standing up and turning to face him.  Keys squinted his eyes, as if looking more closely at Ron and the Lotus Blade.  Drawing on the rosary's power, his eyes suddenly went wide in realization.  "Her soul," he said softly, "you took her soul."

            "Wrong," Ron raised the sword again, "I took everything."  Keys glared at Ron, attacking again, he started ripping apart the building itself in an attempt to destroy his enemy.  Ron dodged and blocked the attacks and flying bits of machinery, taking a shot at Keys whenever he had a chance.  The tall man suddenly pulled back his fist, slamming it into Ron's raised sword.  Ron blocked the attack, staying on his feet, but was pushed back several feet.  Keys raised his hand over his head and brought it down, slamming it into the floor with an earth shattering boom.  An invisible energy seemed to spring from the impact, tearing through the floor, heading straight towards Ron.  Ron made no move to dodge, but waited until the explosions were almost on top of him and then brought the sword up in front of him as if to deflect it.

            The floor in front and around Ron erupted in debris and dust, swallowing him up.  Keys smiled triumphantly, starting to walk towards the settling cloud.  Suddenly, something flew out of the cloud, straight into the air.  Looking up, Kim saw Ron as he jumped into the air, hung there for a split second, and then fell towards Keys.  Keys raised his arms to try and deflect the Blade.  There was a flash as Ron hit the tall man, and Keys was thrown back against a wall.  Keys shook his head, standing up and preparing to attack again, when he suddenly looked worried.  His eyes went wide as he looked down at his wrist.

            "Looking for this," Ron smiled, holding up the rosary.  It dangled from the end of his sword, until he flipped it back, catching it and putting it in his pocket.  "You were so bust protecting that pretty face of yours, you didn't even notice slip it off with my swing."  Keys glared at Ron, his teeth grinding against themselves.  A look of defeat was in his eyes, even as he reached for a sword mounted on the wall beside him.

            "Go to hell, Stoppable," he spat, rushing Ron, the sword raised.  Ron brought his sword back, readying an attack.

            "You first."  Ron flew forward, too fast for Kim to see.  There was a brief flash of sparks as Keys' sword was cut in two.  Keys stood, frozen for a second, his mouth open as if surprised.  Then his head slowly lulled to the side and dropped off his neck, tumbling to the floor.  The rest of his body followed as Ron sheathed the Lotus Blade.  Kim slowly walked over to where Ron was standing, looking at the ground.

            "Are you alright," she asked cautiously, reaching out to touch his shoulder.  Ron turned around, looking at Kim.  Making eye contact, Kim's heart jumped as she saw Ron's eyes.  They were no longer held the cold darkness she had seen ever since his resurrection, they were now the same bright color she had known all her life.

            "Ron," she could hardly bring herself to breath, "is... that you?"  Ron didn't answer for a second, but then smiled back at her warmly.

            "Yeah, KP," he said, finally, "it's me."  Kim felt a surge of joy.  Her Ron was back.  She grabbed Ron, hugging him as hard as she could.

            "Why," Kim stammered, "I mean, what happened?"

            "Don't know," Ron shrugged, "guess my job's done."  Kim smiled, hugging him again.  She had never dared to hope that Ron would return to normal after his task had been achieved.  They walked outside to find the sensei and the other guardians of the Lotus Blade waiting for them.

            "I had a feeling we should show up," the sensei bowed, "We were just, what do you call it... 'mopping up' the rest of the Zenryoku."  Kim smiled at the old man, but then suddenly became upset.

            "Where's Yori," she cried, "she was right here.  She di... she was..."  Kim trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes.  The sensei looked over at Ron, as if acknowledging something.

            "Do not worry," he said softly, walking over and patting Kim's shoulder, "she has been taken care of."  Kim looked at the old man's smiling face and nodded sadly.  Something in the back of her mind was telling her that Ron didn't seem that upset, but her relief and joy at having her friend back to normal drown the little voice out.

            They said their good-byes and thank yous to the sensei, Lt. Yun, and the others and headed for home.  They called ahead, telling both their parents that they were going to Kim's house first.  Ron thought his parents were going to go nuts on the phone.  His dad demanded to know who was making such a sick prank call.  Kim took that phone, asking the Stoppables to just meet them at her house where they would explain everything.

            The explanation was a somewhat farfetched one, but the parents bought it anyway, mostly because they wanted to.  Kim explained that the Ron that had died was actually a robot double that Drakken had switched for the real Ron at some point before the mission.  The real Ron had been held in Drakken's base, and was freed in the explosion.  He missed Kim and the military choppers, and ended up having to walk back to Middleton.

            This scenario did nothing to explain Ron's desecrated grave, or where Kim had been the whole time, but the grown-ups didn't care.  They were so happy to have their kids back safe and sound they would have accepted any explanation.  The two families stayed up far into the night, talking and laughing.  Ron's parents sat on each side of him, as if to make sure he wasn't going to go anywhere.  After awhile the Stoppables finally decided it was time to leave.

            "I'll see you tomorrow," Kim said, hugging Ron tightly.

            "Sure thing KP," Ron smiled back, "It feels like forever since I've been to Bueno Nacho."  Kim laughed, waving to the family as they walked to their car and drove away.  Kim went back inside with her parents and brothers.  As she was getting ready for bed Kim stopped, looking at her reflection in the mirror.  The scars were still there, but for some reason they didn't seem as heavy now.  The scars may cover her skin, but they wouldn't cover her true self.  And this was her true self, she thought, smiling.  Happy, friendly, and optimistic.  Those were the core characteristics of her personality, and though they may be stifled for a time by hardships or tragedy, they would never be fully extinguished.  Just as Ron's true self had not been destroyed by either death or the Lotus Blade, so her true self would continue to survive.

            At the Stoppables' house, Ron had finally gotten his parents to let him go to bed.  They were so happy he was back they couldn't seem to bring themselves to leave him alone, like they were afraid he'd disappear when they weren't looking.  After insisting that he was very tired and that he'd be fine, they had finally consented, heading off to their own room.

            Ron walked into his room.  He didn't turn on the lights, but simply took off his jacket, throwing it on a chair.  He also took the Lotus Blade from his belt, propping it on the chair's seat.

            "You lied to her."

            "Yes," Ron stated simply, sitting down on his bed.

            "You're not normal.  Things will never be the same, will they?"

            "No, they won't," Ron admitted, "but they'll be okay.  She has her Ron back, and if she wants to believe that it wasn't really me this whole time, why not, if it makes her happy?"

            "Well, well.  Someone seems to have grown a heart."

            "If you're going to make fun of me," Ron smirked, looking over at the Lotus Blade, "you could at least do it face to face."

            "Fine."  The air around the sword began to twist, smoke rose from the Blade, and the sword itself seemed to dissolve in the mist.  The cloud grew and condensed, taking on a vague shape, growing thicker and thicker until it finally solidified into a young Japanese girl with black hair down to her jaw line.  "Better?" asked Yori.

            "Much better," Ron smiled.

            "So why did you lie to her," Yori asked, leaning on the wall.

            "She needed it," Ron said, "she was already so broken up inside.  If she believes I'm back to the way I was, then that's something for her to hold on to.  She's still my friend and I don't want to see her suffer."

            "Then I'm glad you did it," Yori smiled.

            "And how are you feeling," Ron asked, getting up and walking towards Yori.  "After all, it's not everyday you discover you're actually a missing piece of an ancient mystical weapon.  And definitely not a normal occurrence to have your soul and dead body absorbed into said weapon and used to kill the leader of an army of ninja."

            "You're teasing me," Yori smiled, narrowing her eyes.

            "Yes, I am," Ron grinned back, "but not when I asked how you are."

            "Hmmm," Yori thought for a moment, "It's different.  That's for sure.  I feel like some missing part of my life that I didn't even know I had lost has fallen back into place.  I feel like," Yori looked up at Ron, a strange smirk twisting her lips, "I feel like fighting."

            "Well, you are part of the Lotus Blade now, " Ron smiled, standing right in front of Yori, "you and the sword are both the same thing now, so some of its personality will have rubbed off on you."

            "All those strange feelings I had around you and the sword," Yori continued, thoughtfully, "even then I was feeling something of the sword's thoughts."

            "You weren't just sensing them," Ron laid his hands on the wall on either side of Yori's head, "you felt them because, even then, you and the Lotus Blade were the same person.  When you were drawn out to the garden, when you wanted to come with me in the club.  You were feeling the Blade's connection to me."  He paused leaning a little closer, "YOUR connection to me."

            "I do feel bad," Yori suddenly stated, changing the subject, "that we didn't tell sensei."

            "He knows."

            "What?"  Yori looked up at Ron.

            "He knows," Ron stated simply, "he could tell as soon as he saw us after killing Keys."  Yori was amazed, though she knew she shouldn't be surprised.

            "Man, he knows everything," she laughed quietly.  "So," she said, after a slight pause, "what do we do now?"

            "What do we do?" Ron asked, leaning even closer.  "We do what we want to do.  With the new, more powerful you, we should have some great fights."

            "Doesn't power corrupt," Yori smirked.

            "Sure," Ron leaned a little more, his breath playing across Yori's lips, "but we're not out for power.  We're just in it for the fun."

            "Won't Kim object," whispered Yori, "she doesn't really approve of senseless violence."

            "We're not always around Kim," Ron whispered back, "there'll be plenty of time to find some fun."  They were only centimeters apart now, their lips barely grazing.  "So, what do you say?  Will you stay and fight with me?"  Yori smiled, looking into Ron's eyes.

            "Sounds great," she whispered.  Ron smiled as he saw a flash of black energy pass over Yori's eyes, mirroring the darkness that flashed across his own.

            "Boo-yah"

The End 


End file.
